Cincinnati's Instagram agency for local brands. Ten phases. Three zones. One engine. Every output becomes the next input. Built to be productized so it works the same way, every client, every time.
Strategy. Testing. Decision. Extension. Renewal. The full commercial and strategic arc on one timeline. Details follow below.
Cincinnati's Instagram agency for local brands. Locked, repeated everywhere.
Cincinnati and Dayton local brands. Founder-led. Investing in long-term brand.
Four-lane niche framework. Tight follower bands. Geo-zoned ownership across the team.
Referral channel runs Tier 1 alongside cold outreachOne brand. Voice layered across surfaces.
Daily content from chase.scrolls across Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, and X.
The Local Brand Growth Manual. Email-gated authority asset. First name + email. Tags Kit nurture · routes ManyChat keyword flow.
Audience-to-Action Playbook ($87) + Instagram Growth Blueprint ($997). Lower-ticket entry points.
Instagram Maturity Quiz feeds Kit email nurture sequence with stage-personalized follow-up.
From cold prospect to signed client with strategy locked. Run once per client. Run clean.
Daily acquisition across cold email, LinkedIn, and Instagram. About 95 personal touches a day. Targeted, not mass.
A 30-minute structured call. AI transcribes everything. We walk away with the information your proposal needs.
AI extracts your transcript. The 11-section template fills in around your specifics. Deployed as a hosted webpage.
Contract signed. Onboarding form captures the business in detail. Link Infrastructure Intake closes the attribution gap.
Structured live meeting. We lock the three biggest goals for the year and capture your business in your own words.
Three-week build sprint. IVP, pillars, format library, content calendar, KPI framework, profile optimization. Live Homebase deployed.
Before we write a single line of strategy, we absorb your brand. The onboarding form captures your business in detail. The kickoff meeting locks your goals in your own words. Week 1 of the strategy sprint synthesizes everything into your Ideal Viewer Profile. The strategy that follows is built on your brand, not agency assumptions.
Discovery produces a clear yes or no. We don't push when it doesn't fit.
Timing, budget, or capacity shifts. We keep the relationship warm with quarterly nurture touches.
How 95 personal touches a day get sourced, sorted, and assigned without sacrificing personalization.
The outreach motion runs against a master prospect list maintained as the system of record. Every prospect carries a niche lane, a follower-band signal, a tier, an owner, and a channel allocation. Daily worklists pull from saved filter views so each operator opens the workday to a sorted, ranked queue.
| Tier | Channels active | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| A-tier | Multi-channel · Chase email + Chase LinkedIn + IG @scrollmedia.co (team) + IG @chase.scrolls (Chase) | Saturation. A-tier deserves multi-surface presence. |
| B-tier | 1-2 channels · (Chase email + IG) OR (Chase LinkedIn + IG) | Selective. Don't burn Chase's volume across every B-tier prospect. |
| C-tier | IG-only via @scrollmedia.co | Team-owned. Preserves Chase's email and LinkedIn bandwidth for A and B-tier. |
Strategy isn't a single deliverable. It's three weeks of structured work that produces 15+ artifacts feeding every cycle of content production. The same architecture runs on every Signature engagement.
We audit your current Instagram against your IVP and competitive landscape. Profile, bio, highlights, grid, current content patterns, vendor stack, brand proof points.
Output: profile optimization recommendations + competitive gap analysis. The audit informs the rest of the strategy architecture.
When a renewed client refers a friend, that prospect enters Phase 01 as a warm lead. Skips the cold motion. Higher close rate. Compounds the system as the client roster grows.
The engagement lives here for a year. Production publishes. Reporting measures. Optimization adjusts on signal, not on calendar.
Shoot every 3 weeks. Edit, caption, publish. 60-70% Reels, ~30% Carousels. Every piece runs through the Content Engine first.
Foundation Layer positioning gets enforced at production, not just defined upfront. Two voices, deliberately distinct: agency voice on Scroll surfaces, Chase voice on @chase.scrolls. AMs inherit agency voice with permitted tonal variation.
Performance from Metricool + Meta Graph API. AI compiles the monthly report. We add the strategic narrative.
Five trigger criteria. Format Test Log. Bi-weekly check-ins. Strategy adjusts on signal, not on calendar.
The execution loop closes here. Optimization signals route back into Production every month. The Format Test Log dictates the next rotation. The loop never breaks.
Phase 09 outcomes feed back into Phase 07 every month. The Format Test Log dictates next month's rotation.
At Months 3, 6, and 9, Optimization can loop all the way back to Phase 06 for strategy refresh.
The strategic engine inside Zone 02. Scroll Media's proprietary framework for engineering content signals deliberately and adjusting on signal, not on calendar.
Every content decision routes through the Ideal Viewer Profile. Pillars derive from it. Formats select for it. Hooks land for it. No piece publishes that can't trace back to a specific motivator, pain point, or FAQ.
Learn more · The IVP-First discipline in execution.
Content mix calibrates to the account's maturity stage. Pushing 25% conversion content on a young account starves the audience-building that conversion depends on. Stage drives mix.
Learn more · The stage ladder and the mix it dictates.
Four stages of account maturity. Each carries a calibrated top-of-funnel, middle-of-funnel, bottom-of-funnel split. Trust grows through value plus story plus consistency before conversion content earns the right to land.
| Stage | Stage description | Top of funnel | Mid funnel | Bottom of funnel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spark | Early growth. Audience-building is the job. | 70% | 20% | 10% |
| Lift | Building momentum. Audience knows the brand. | 60% | 25% | 15% |
| Rise | Scaling reach. Conversion content earns its weight. | 50% | 30% | 20% |
| Thrive | Mature compounding. Authority and conversion both pull. | 40% | 35% | 25% |
Lane B Creative Direction in practice. Adapt and Invent decide where the format gets sourced from. Mix decides how often it runs.
Replicate a niche winner using a specific format that's working in-category.
Riff on adjacent niches. A pet brand pulls from food creator structures. A med spa pulls from beauty creator structures.
Model historical winners with less current competition. A 2019 carousel pattern reborn with sharper hooks today.
Create formats no one in the niche is running. Higher risk, higher differentiation upside.
Example: A neighborhood retailer launches a "what we almost named the store" series. No niche precedent. Pure brand IP.
Metrics get weighted by buyer-intent signal. Saves and CTR carry the highest weight. Vanity metrics carry the least. Evaluation aligns to what actually predicts revenue.
Learn more · The weighted scoring framework.
Ten scored metrics across the funnel. Four tier weights. Saves and CTR sit at T1-High because they map most directly to consideration-stage and conversion-stage behavior. Shares sits at T3 because high shareability often reaches non-buyer audiences.
| Tier | Weight | Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| T1-High | 2.0× | Saves · CTR |
| T1 | 1.5× | Retention % · PCR · Link Taps |
| T2 | 1.0× | Profile Visits · Comments · New Followers · Total Views |
| T3 | 0.75× | Shares |
Final Score = 6.0 + (raw × 0.4). The 6.0 floor compresses scoring to a 0-10 scale clients can read. No client gets a 2/10 on a piece of content. The floor protects the relationship while the multiplier captures the genuine variance. Denominator 13.25 across the 10 scored metrics.
Take something universally familiar. Map the brand onto it. The brain rewards the familiar pattern. The unexpected application creates novelty without confusion. Familiar plus surprising stops the scroll.
Learn more · Worked Pattern Break examples.
The structure is always the same. A universal cultural reference the IVP already loves crosses with a specific brand product or service. Series-ready execution. Client tone-fit confirmed before committing.
Strategy adjusts on signal, never on schedule. Single-month dips are noise. Two consecutive months below floor is signal. Five trigger criteria are the only adjustment authorization.
Learn more · How the promote/retire loop runs.
The monthly Format Test Log review is the operational mechanic that feeds the promote/retire decision. Step 04 The Data publishes the punchy version. This is the precise operational version.
The discipline protects against reactive strategy whiplash. Over-adjusting is a bigger risk than under-adjusting.
Cast wide. Test 6-10 formats and content angles. Goal: find what resonates with the specific audience.
2-3 winning formats per goal. Drop what didn't perform. Volume goes on the proven approach.
Lock the core rotation. Test 1-2 new angles. Optimize hooks, captions, and visuals on what works.
Refinement keeps running. A year-end Annual Strategic Review fires at Month 11 trigger inside the M10-12 band. Checks IVP, Goals, and positioning. Findings feed the renewal conversation without slowing the work.
At Month 3, the initial 3-month commitment closes. Decision point: extend to the 9-month retainer for the full 12-month engagement, or part ways cleanly. By this point, Testing Phase signals are clear, the working relationship is proven, and both sides have data to decide.
Content Engine = the workflow. Idea → Format → Hook → Data. Every content piece runs through these 4 steps.
Signal Method = the strategic discipline running across the workflow. Five components calibrate every step.
The workflow is the floor. The discipline is what makes Scroll's execution different from any other agency running a similar 4-step process. Other agencies have a workflow. Scroll runs Signal Method across all four.
Sub-loop inside Phase 07. Every piece of content runs through these four steps before publication, then feeds the next ideation cycle on the way out.
IVP (B2C + B2B), Content Pillars, Format Library, and KPI Framework feed every ideation cycle.
Published content + the performance signals each piece generates. Saves, shares, retention, CTR, profile conversions.
Five parallel input streams feed ideation. Every idea originates from one or more.
FAQs · challenges · dream outcomes · B2C and B2B paths · buyer path · funnel stage mapping · goal mapping.
Google Trends · pop culture events · world news. Pulled into brand context, never copied raw.
One account algorithm-trained for the client's niche. Patterns surface fast. Winning formats spotted early.
The people who built the niche. Less-explored ideation lane with built-in authority to borrow.
Pets · coffee · classic TV culture · personality types · weather. Translated into brand-specific content.
Three orthogonal dimensions. Every idea decides on all three independently.
The first 3 seconds decide whether anyone watches the rest. Seven canonical techniques, stackable.
Open with question. Delay payoff.
Unexpected visuals. Switching angles.
Repeated taglines. Signature openings. Recurring visual marks.
Push against the niche norm.
Data-anchored opening promise.
Talking to a specific viewer type.
What is at risk. What they will miss.
Strong copywriting is the craft underneath every technique. Punchy words, lists, frameworks, metaphors, analogies, expert quotes. These are not an 8th technique. They are how every technique gets executed at high quality.
Format Test Log captures every execution. 3 strong runs to promote to CORE. 2 weak months to retire. Review monthly during performance reporting.
Every piece logged against its format. The Format Test Log is the system of record.
Saves, shares, CTR, retention, profile conversion. Weighted per the Three-Tier Metric Hierarchy.
Each piece scored. Format-level performance rolls up at month-end.
Locked formats join CORE. Underperformers exit. Promotion and retirement decisions made monthly.
Goal: 2-3 go-to formats per funnel stage by quarter close. Locked formats get all-in execution the next quarter.
One decision at the end of every twelve-month engagement. The case is built on demonstrated work, not on a sales pitch. Both paths feed something downstream.
Re-enter Strategy at Phase 06 with new scope: refined IVP, refreshed pillars, expanded Phase 2 opportunities flagged across the year. The engagement compounds.
Clients who joined before this method was systemized get brought up to current standards at renewal. Fresh IVP, fresh pillars, current KPIs. Same renewal moment, deeper rebuild.
Clean exit. Churn diagnostic runs against the engagement. Findings update the Foundation Layer: ICP, prospect tiering, positioning. See the Customer Lifecycle Touchpoints section below for the full offboarding workflow.
Quarterly reviews are tactical (formats, calendars, format rotation). The Annual Strategic Review is bigger. Three questions: Is the IVP still right? Are the three Goals still accurate? Has the positioning evolved? The answers shape the next 12-month engagement. Fires at Month 11 trigger inside the M10-12 band, before the contract is re-signed.
Annual review is renewal-decisive. It carries the same architectural weight as the original strategy sprint, because it sets the terms of Year 2. Findings feed the renewal conversation directly. No surprises at the contract signature line.
Full 12 months of scoring, format graduation history, monthly narrative. Trend lines surface what compounded and what stalled.
Is the Ideal Viewer Profile still the right target? Has the business expanded, narrowed, or repositioned in a way the IVP needs to absorb?
The 3 Goals from Kickoff get audited against the year. Hit, missed, evolved. New goals get drafted in client's language, locked at renewal.
Has the brand's positioning shifted? Pillars, hook framework, format library all get pressure-tested against the current state.
Every output in this system feeds something else. Renewal feeds a fresh Phase 06. Close feeds the Foundation Layer. Happy renewed clients refer new prospects who enter Phase 01 as warm leads. The system gets smarter every cycle. Nothing here is a dead end.
The setup is intensive. The ongoing rhythm is light by design. You run your business. We run your Instagram.
Setup: about 4 hours total across 6 weeks. Ongoing: about 3-4 hours per month. You run your business. We run the Instagram. That's the trade.
Most engagements look like this. Some don't go linear. Both run through the same architecture.
A Hyde Park sandwich shop. Sister-owned, 80-year family history. Goal: grow catering inquiries + foot traffic across two locations.
Team AM reached out via @scrollmedia.co. 30-min discovery captured family history + catering as the under-monetized lever.
Proposal in 4 days. Contract signed. Kickoff locks 3 Goals. 3-week strategy sprint. Live Homebase by Week 6.
Testing → Executing → Refining. Pattern Break flagship: local product × universal cultural reference. Bi-weekly check-ins.
Year-over-year: 30% growth in catering inquiries. Account doubles in followers. Path A accepted with Phase 2 scope.
Not every prospect converts. Not every client makes it to twelve months. The system handles both without losing what it learned.
Discovery shows interest. Proposal sent. Prospect declines after 3 weeks (budget + timing). Returns to Phase 01 nurture loop with quarterly value touches.
→ 6 months later they come back ready. Faster close, trust earned in the gap.
Initial 3-month engagement completes. Testing data is mixed. Client decides not to extend to the 9-month retainer. Path closes cleanly with full handoff.
→ Diagnostic feeds Foundation. ICP refined. Sometimes returns later for a fresh engagement.
Two threads run alongside the engagement. One captures social proof at peak moments. The other handles offboarding cleanly when the engagement ends.
Testimonials, case studies, and referral intros captured when the client is excited and outcomes are visible. Not at the end.
After a quarter of data and proven early wins. Client sees the system working. We ask for a short written testimonial.
Mid-year. Wins are stacking. We ask permission to build a case study with real numbers and outcomes.
Strong year-end position. We ask for a warm intro to another local brand in their network.
Viral post, milestone hit, new customer credits Instagram. We ask immediately while excitement is high.
Full year of data and milestones documented. Case study finalized. Featured in BD assets and the Foundation Layer proof library.
Path B isn't a clean break. Structured handoff: asset transition, knowledge transfer, door left open.
If not captured during active engagement, we ask now. Even churn engagements usually have wins worth documenting.
Drive folder ownership transferred. Plann access settled. Metricool dashboard handed off. Smart-links exported.
Final performance report. Strategy doc handed off (IVP, pillars, format library, what worked).
What didn't fit? ICP signal? Capacity issue? Findings feed Foundation Layer. ICP and prospect tiering refined.
"When you're ready, we'll be here." Quarterly nurture touch added. Past clients sometimes return after 6-18 months.
We don't wait until offboarding to capture social proof. We capture it during the high points when emotion is positive and outcomes are visible. Offboarding becomes a cleanup of work the system has been doing all along.
Most local agencies aren't this AI-leveraged. We use AI internally to compress time and improve quality. Client-facing content stays human-led.
AI captures the discovery call verbatim. We re-read it before building your proposal. Nothing important falls through the cracks.
AI drafts the first version of your proposal from your discovery transcript. We polish, customize, and review before sending.
AI helps synthesize your kickoff notes and onboarding form into a deep IVP. We pressure-test and finalize the strategy.
AI generates content angles, hook variations, and script drafts from your IVP. Our team picks the winners, edits, and produces.
AI compiles your monthly report and analyzes top posts. We add the strategic narrative before delivery.
AI surfaces patterns in your performance data. We diagnose what's working, decide what changes, and write the brief.
AI compresses our time inside the system. Your Reels, captions, carousels, and stories stay made by people. Time savings become strategic depth, not invisible cost cutting.