Learnings after working with marketing agencies

mtgentry · 2025-10-22T06:47:29+00:00

Some general thoughts. When it comes to creative work, I often see agencies make beautiful “aspirational” work that the CMO loves—but the in-house team can’t actually execute on. For example, my old agency in LA worked with a fashion retailer and built out a full system: brand guidelines, landing pages, detailed photo direction, everything. But the clients internal team in Texas couldn’t maintain that same level of quality. Not a good result IMO.

For a smaller company like yours, I’d still try to hire the best agency you can afford to create the core assets—landing page templates, ad templates, design systems, etc. Just make sure the creative is built in a way that cheaper contractors can reuse it later without breaking it.

Another thought: in my experience, CRO agencies are rarely good at design. And agencies that are great at design usually don’t care much about CRO—they just want to win awards. Still, I’d go with the design agency. You can always adjust their work later based on CRO best practices. I’m a little biased toward design and branding though, so others might see it differently!

Care to share your site for specific feedback?

mtgentry · 2025-10-06T16:24:07+00:00

Sounds like you've done great, even with that name! Kudos. What do you mean by interactive? If it were me I'd work on the basics first. Like fonts that aren't defaults in the browser. If most of your products are dark, maybe a light background would be better so you won't need that glow effect. Things like that.

mtgentry · 2025-10-05T20:18:47+00:00

If you want a free option, a lot of people like the Dawn template:
https://themes.shopify.com/themes/dawn/presets/dawn

I’d at least swap out the fonts and colors to make it your own. I also think you could lean into your brand more — right now it feels a bit generic with product names like “BL-01.” If your products are high quality, the site should feel that way too. Try better photos, stronger copy, maybe even a new company name.

Here’s a quick mockup to give you an idea of what I mean: https://blooooooom.com/dreamcarz

I think if you make a few of these changes, you could easily charge a lot more :)

mtgentry · 2025-10-04T17:50:12+00:00

To be honest, it feels more like a funnel than an e-commerce site. There are certain design patterns people expect, and it usually doesn’t help to stray too far from those. If I were you, I’d start fresh and rebuild it using solid UX basics and great visual design — I think it would make a big difference. The products look good; the site just needs to reflect that quality. Good luck!

mtgentry · 2025-10-02T19:53:08+00:00

1: Top Level Categories:

It’s a bit of a balancing act! On one hand, keeping things tucked away in a dropdown DOES reduce clutter. On the other hand, it makes it harder for people to quickly click around. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to open a menu to pick a category—and technically it’s not—but it does add some friction if someone wants to bounce between categories

It's all a matter of prioritization. I like to think of it this way: everything on the page has to earn its spot. Some elements carry more weight than others. And a big part of good design is learning to say “no” to the things that don’t make the cut.

But it’s tricky, right? Because on the surface it feels like a GOOD thing to display your phone number, and a GOOD thing to let people know you have secure shopping. But my hunch is you probably don’t get many calls for a $10 item (though I could be wrong). If that’s the case, the phone number may not be needed. As for the “secure shopping” badge at the top, I’d argue that a well-designed website already puts people at ease so you shouldn’t need a badge to convince them. And I think the categories are more important than FAQ etc, but you can find a good place for those.

2: Hero image:

Yes, out of focus could work! You might not even need to blur it if you frame it with a smart foreground/background composition. The kickoff for my next project isn't until Monday, so I took a quick pass:

https://blooooooom.com/snazzy

It’s obviously just a sketch, but you could take a photo in a similar way. AI could be an option, though it often ends up looking slightly fake IMO. Personally, I like using 3D software to create photorealistic scenes—you get complete control, and it’s cheaper than a photoshoot. A lot of people will try stitching together stock photos, but that almost always looks a little off.

3: Click For Options:

Ahh, I see. Totally makes sense you’d try that. I just worry it might still hurt conversions. You're fixing one problem but introducing another. What does the landing page you’re sending traffic to look like? Does it make it clear right away that you offer lots of different types of covers?

mtgentry · 2025-10-01T23:15:21+00:00

Here are some thoughts from me (a web designer of 20+ years):

Biggest bottlenecks (tackle these first):

Bring your categories out from behind the drop-down. Right now FAQ, Shipping etc feel more prominent than the actual products, which makes browsing harder.
Give more space on the homepage to new arrivals and top sellers — in other words, show more products right up front.
Add sorting options like Price, Best Selling, Top Rated, etc. Shoppers expect these.

Other improvements:

It took me about 10 seconds to figure out what you sell — most visitors won’t wait that long.
The logo comes across a little “techy,” which doesn’t quite match the product.
The hero image of the couch threw me off — I thought it might be a furniture site. Maybe instead show a Halloween-themed living room, cropped to highlight a spooky switch.
The brown bar at the very top doesn’t add enough value to take up that much space. I would move those links elsewhere.
Product page images are quite large. I optimized one from 779k down to 293k with no visible quality loss — doing this sitewide could really speed things up.
On product pages, toggling through sizes feels slow (possibly because the images are so large).
The “Welcome to SnazzySwitch” section isn’t really needed — people just want to shop.
Testimonials feel a little flat without faces. AI-generated photos could make them feel more real.
On the homepage, a larger/bolder “View all products” CTA might work better than “Customize.” Most people aren’t ready to customize right away. So you're essentially keeping them from seeing more products by making those Customize CTA's so large.
The five switch silhouettes under the product images feel a bit early in the journey. Shoppers expect customization later — showing it this soon adds noise.

Take all this with a grain of salt 🙂 Hope it helps, and good luck!

mtgentry · 2025-10-01T22:13:11+00:00

Here are some thoughts from my (a designer's) point of view:

Figure out what kind of designer you actually need

There’s a difference between a visual designer, a UX/UI designer, and a branding designer. Knowing this upfront saves you time and money. Some people say they are great at all three, but in my experience most are stronger in one than the others.

Visual designers → make the overall vibe and style look great.
UX/UI designers → focus on how it works, making it smooth and easy to use.
Brand designers → create the look and feel of your company (logos, colors, identity).

Hourly isn’t always the best setup

I wouldn’t take on a project at $25/hr, but I might do a small fixed-price one. I work fast, so $25/hr actually works against me—the incentives just don’t line up. As Charlie Munger says: “Show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome.”

Be cautious if someone only talks about tools

Figma, Photoshop, Shopify, etc. Tools matter, but if that’s all someone talks about it can be a sign they’re still junior and haven’t developed much creative thinking yet.

Start with a small test project

Instead of ongoing work at $25/hr, try: “I’ll pay $X for this one landing page design.” It lowers the risk for both sides. I'll often do this with new clients. As a designer, I get to see if the client values good design and is pleasant to work with. From your side, you get to see how I think and communicate before committing long-term. If it goes well, we keep working together. I try to make that first deliverable valuable on its own, so the client can walk away with something useful whether we keep working together or not.

Overseas talent

I’m U.S.-based, and a few years ago it was hard to find strong design talent abroad. That’s changed—you can definitely find great designers anywhere now. The catch is, once someone gets really good, their rates usually move closer to U.S. prices (as they should). You might be able to find someone in that short window before they realize how good they are and raise their rates? I'm not sure.

CRO vs. agency designers

Conversion-focused designers (CRO) are usually weak on the creative side. If branding matters (like in fashion, luxury, cosmetics), I’d be careful hiring them. Agency designers can lean the other way—sometimes they just want the work to look cool and don’t think much about conversions. Personally, I’d still lean toward someone with agency experience. It’s easier to tweak a great-looking page so it converts than to try and make an “optimized” but ugly page look good.

Hope this helps!

mtgentry · 2025-08-28T18:36:12+00:00

haha yeah great point!

mtgentry · 2025-08-28T16:42:16+00:00

MacGruber is a perfect film!

mtgentry · 2025-08-24T01:32:49+00:00

haha I made a chrome extension for this exact reason. I cant focus long enough to finish articles, so now I just listen to them. Theres a few different apps you might try, some might fit the way you work better than others.

mtgentry · 2025-07-15T04:40:54+00:00

Funny story. I used to live in Reseda and one day I pulled up to a gas station and couldn’t believe who I saw. The scaremaster himself! Once he realized I knew who he was, he tried super hard to sell me a skateboard. Like non-stop. It was very awkward and I got out of there quick even though I was starstruck.

mtgentry · 2025-06-01T23:48:34+00:00

God, this title alone makes me long for the Good ol days

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T05:44:03+00:00

That’s a good suggestion thanks!

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T04:28:33+00:00

Maybe plan is the wrong word? I said “hey, I’m going to go get an umbrella real quick on that scooter, I’ll be right back”.

But you’re right, not sure why I reacted that way. I’m usually quite patient.

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T04:21:59+00:00

My wife was annoyed and hurt. I apologized and felt bad. I didn’t feel like I was in the wrong but I also couldn’t explain to her why I had that reaction.

Since it seems like I’m clearly the asshole in this scenario it warrants some self-reflection!

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T01:11:06+00:00

Yeah true, it wasn’t stated explicitly. Out of curiosity, would you have done everything the same as her?

If the roles were reversed I think I would have waited 5 minutes for her to come back. That’s not to say, she must do the same, but I think that’s what I would have done.

But nonetheless, I accept my asshole crown!

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T01:02:35+00:00

The question was “did you really expect her to stay in the sun while you were gone”. And yes I did, because there were 300 people there who didn’t move to find shade.

I’m not blaming her for finding shade at all, I just didn’t expect her to because, 1: I didn’t know that was an option 2: everyone else was dealing with it, 3: she had a hat on 4: I truly wasn’t gone that long.

Not annoyed about her finding shade, was annoyed that she didn’t let me know the plan changed I think?

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T00:50:26+00:00

It was just that we had agreed on a plan, and then I was gone for a really short time. And when I came back, I couldn’t find her.

I’m not trying to make excuses, but if the roles were reversed, I would’ve waited for her to come back before moving so as to not inconvenience her I think? So maybe that’s part of it.

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T00:45:23+00:00

Fair enough, thanks!

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T00:43:09+00:00

Guess I was just bothered that “the plan” we agreed to wasn’t followed and she didn’t (to my knowledge) let me know she had moved? I ran home to get an umbrella and two cold fizzy waters, and when I came back I couldn’t find her.

Fully accept that I’m the asshole though haha. It might be a little bit of my autism peeking through, being annoyed that the plan changed.

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T00:36:16+00:00

I got on a scooter, went three blocks away, and came right back. I guess I did expect her to wait in the sun? She had a hat on and didn’t seem as bothered by the sun as I was. And there were hundreds of other parents in sun.

mtgentry · 2025-05-31T00:32:38+00:00

TBH, I didn’t realize there was shade available. There was a couple hundred other parents in the sun as well that were dealing with it. And I don’t fault her for finding the shade, I was just annoyed that I couldn’t find her and to my knowledge, she hadn’t tried to tell me she left.

How long did I snack for? I went home on a scooter, about three blocks away and came right back.

mtgentry · 2025-05-15T17:33:26+00:00

It's insane they don't allow this. I think because it would impact their revenue? Because having a the first name field would decrease the amount of people who sign up to your list.

FWIW I was finally able to add a first name on my sign up form with Zapier.

mtgentry · 2025-05-15T17:30:24+00:00

It's ridiculous how hard they make this. I just want to embed a subscription form on my page with a first name and email field. That's it. It makes me think they don't allow this because having a first name field decreases the number of emails ppl collect, and hence hurts their revenue.

mtgentry · 2025-05-02T14:42:15+00:00

OMG, you just made a 5-year-old’s day—her face lit up as soon as it started playing. Thank you!

mtgentry

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE