First of all, how are you and your team doing in these COVID-19 times?
COVID-19 hit our business fast, much like most small businesses out there. There was so much uncertainty in the world, which also held for small businesses. No one knew if they would be able to keep their doors open, how long they would have to be closed, and if they could offer curbside services.
This impacted us immediately because we primarily work with small businesses locally in Milwaukee, WI. We ended up scaling back services for several of our clients and went into almost a defense strategy initially while things were getting figured out at a government level. The biggest impact on our clients and us was immediately when the US went on lockdown in March-April.
Fast forward a couple of months, and we started to scale back all of our clients to a normal level and gain many new clients we’ve been talking to over the last few years. The reason for services returning to normal and the additional clients was that these old-school business owners started to see and realize how important being online was when a majority of business was being forced online. It was a moment where you adapt or become obsolete. We not only took on new clients but donated some of our efforts to local businesses by updating their websites to communicate how they were handling COVID, or we helped them make their eCommerce website.
Tell us about your career and how you founded or joined this company?
I’ve taken a much different route than most people I’ve met who own marketing agencies. I graduated from UW-Whitewater with a finance degree and worked in the finance industry for about 3 years before switching to SocialSurge Marketing. During my time in private wealth management, I learned how much I enjoy analytics, which is a plus in the marketing industry, but more importantly, I learned how much I enjoy people.
My primary role here at SocialSurge is talking to new prospects, building new client relationships, and making sure existing clients are happy. It’s pretty much been a dream come true so far. I’ve been super fortunate to have partnered with my business partner, Kevin Nelsen, the head of marketing, and set up our clients for success by developing and implementing their marketing strategies.
How does your company innovate?
“Marketing is constantly evolving…” You will be left in the dust if you’re not following current trends. We’re constantly innovating whenever a new feature is introduced, a new platform is trending, or whenever an algorithm is updated. One of the big benefits of companies working with a digital marketing agency is that you don’t have to constantly stay on top of these trends since we do it for you.
Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons?
Absolutely. As a business owner, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable making difficult decisions for my and our client’s businesses. Making those difficult decisions is making mistakes and learning along the way. There’s a saying, by I believe John Maxwell, “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.” I try to turn every “bad decision” or mistake into a learning experience and try never to make the same mistake twice.
Most of our major stepping stones in our business have been learned by making a mistake, dissecting it, and figuring out how not to repeat the same mistake.
What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate this crisis?
There hasn’t been any new software or tools we’ve needed to implement because of COVID-19. Most of our work is done virtually, and the only tool we’re using now more than ever is Google Meet for video calling. Outside of that, not much has changed.
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
There are a lot of marketing agencies around. We view things differently than others and don’t see marketing agencies as competition. There is plenty of work to go around, and we’re not always the best fit for every prospect that comes our way. When a prospect comes to us that we can’t help, we try and introduce them to a trusted marketing agency in the area. Every marketing agency has a service they’re best at, an industry they thrive in, and a business size they prefer working with.
We’re looking to keep the clients we get for a long time, and the best way we see doing that is to make sure they’re the perfect fit!
Your Final Thoughts
My final note would be to ensure that if you’re a small business owner, you take your online presence seriously and update the information regularly to set up for success! Thank you for reaching out to publish this interview!
- Spokesperson: Eric Hess
- Company: SocialSurge Marketing
- Website: http://www.socialsurgemarketing.com/