CRM Consultants & Implementation Partners in Portland, ME

Sonar Unlimited is an independent agency covering marketing, advertising and analytics, headquartered in Portland, Maine. It began in 2019 under the name Sonar Digital and has since rebranded. The staff stayed the same while the firm broadened its scope into content strategy, creative production and traditional media planning.

Buyers evaluating CRM partners should know that Sonar is primarily a full-service digital marketing agency. CRM and email consulting is one of its service lines rather than its sole focus. Its website does not name specific CRM platforms that it implements or resells.

Who they work with

The agency organizes its client work around two groups. The first is owners and operators of smaller companies who handle marketing alongside many other responsibilities and want outside expertise. The second is in-house marketing departments that need extra specialists and senior strategic direction. Sonar says it supports organizations ranging from startups to multinationals of around $5B with a global presence.

Its clients are in Maine and elsewhere in New England, across the US and abroad. Published client examples span food brands, local retail, hospitality technology and marine equipment.

Services relevant to CRM buyers

Sonar presents its CRM and email consulting as the link connecting marketing performance to what customers actually do and how they engage. This sits alongside several related offerings that matter to anyone tying a CRM to revenue:

• CRM and email consulting
• Sales enablement aimed at aligning marketing and sales efforts
• Analytics, measurement and stakeholder dashboards, including GA4 work
• Tracking audits and data hygiene reviews
• SEO, local SEO and AI search optimization (GEO/AEO)
• Search and pay-per-click advertising, paid media and social media marketing
• Content strategy, creative development and brand positioning

Engagements generally follow a set sequence:

• A starter project
• An assessment
• Precision tracking setup
• Ongoing support
• Performance optimization

Companies that already know their priority channels begin with an audit of past results, tracking accuracy and budget fit. Those without a plan receive an evaluation of their options and a ranked roadmap. The firm stresses getting website and measurement foundations right before any ad spend.

It also commits to explaining its work in plain language and to favoring achievable plans over elaborate ones. It frames its model as giving clients a bench of specialists for less than the expense of one full-time employee.

Team and background

Founder Joe Conway started out as a copywriter for brands such as L.L.Bean, ESPN, Converse and Hurley before building expertise in SEO and analytics. He is a board member at The Telling Room, a literacy nonprofit, and mentors new founders via Maine Center for Entrepreneurs.

Hannah Crilley holds the Social and CRM Manager role and runs data-informed organic and paid social campaigns. Morgan Hahn, formerly with Hearst and The Weather Channel, directs advertising and analytics. Holly Martzial, VP of client success, brings an operations background and sits on the Portland Buy Local board. Rebecca Warner coordinates client services.

The company reports roughly seven years in operation and a client relationship lasting more than five years. It averages 5.0 stars on Google from upward of two dozen reviews.