What SYNERGY Looks Like | Eli Vida

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For the last ten years, I’ve been using social media to drive sales with promoted products ranging from concert tickets to financial services. I feel like a content swiss army knife. 

I got my professional start as the Social Media Manager for a Chick-fil-a franchise. I owe my Digital Marketing career path to that. My greatest strength is the ability to collaborate and co-create with maximum efficiency.

My Primary skills: 

New Media and Social Media Management

Translation: I know how to use TikTok to drive sales. I’m comfortable saying that we have a solid rationale behind us IF/WHEN we tell a client to get on TikTok, and it’s not everyone. 

Content, Strategy and Process Development 

Translation: I’m great at making templates and then filling them in. 😂Obviously it’s more than that, but at the end of the day, when you work with a team, everybody needs to be on the same page.

My LOVE IT Board: Digital Marketing

I heard “death bed” by Powfu one time and oops, I went and caught feels for TikTok and IGTV. I LOVE both of these platforms! Why? Because they both encourage building an audience with a content-first approach, and content first means value first! Link Tree lets you link to your website and/or landing pages. There is no excuse not to be posting content to one of these two platforms. 

I GEEK:

I geek out about retro Nintendo Games. You know, N64 games. I own, “Complete with Box” Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time, and Donkey Kong 64. [Shout out to Star Fox 64 for holding up and staying fun in 2020.]

But, my biggest nerdy thing is Harry Potter. Since November of ‘19, I’ve listened to the audiobooks or read all 7 harry potter books once every 2-3 weeks. I’m in the middle of Goblet of Fire at the time of this blog. [I’m a Gryffindor and my Patronus is a Raccoon]

My road to 1909 

Jarred found me through a card game called Magic: The Gathering. In 2012, I was a freshman marketing major at the University of Indianapolis and we had quite a lot in common. He really came alongside me as a mentor in my junior year of college. 

Flash forward to 2020, I have been in and out of seven firms in four years. I just started freelancing in December, when a prospective client hits me up and says, “Eli, I pay two agencies and neither of them stays in touch with me or tells me what I need to do. You’re a marketing guy, help me out.”

I reached out to JJ, Lori, and Brandon and told them the situation and it’s been the right fit ever since. Let’s smash some goals.

Off the Tee, Into Reality | Chris Theisen

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When I got into digital marketing I didn’t have a formal marketing background. While that would seem to many as a detriment, it’s served me well over my 10+ year career.

I try to approach things as a user.

When I write, it’s normally from the perspective of the person on the other side of the screen who has a problem. Maybe in this case your problem is that you clicked through to read more about me. How do I guide you down the path to solving that problem?

In all seriousness, helping solve problems is something I’ve always enjoyed doing, even before getting into marketing. My first passion and career was as a golf professional. No, not the people that play golf for money on TV. They are professional golfers. The biggest difference you get when switching these two words? The zeroes on the paychecks. While I truly love the game, it can be a good walk, spoiled. A golfer never solves the puzzle that is golf. When they’re having a number of problems they seek out a lesson with their golf professional. I got lots of practice solving problems in that career. 

Shifting Gears

It’s said that people use “the internet” for only two things: entertaining themselves or to solve a problem. When I started I thought that was all my job was. Create entertaining content or problem-solving content. Listening and being a resource. Over the years my thinking has shifted. I still approach marketing content and campaigns around solving the users problems, but the end goal is a bit different. In the end, marketing should be about driving revenue. Your employer isn’t paying you in Monopoly money. Your clients can’t keep their businesses open with likes, views, comments, and nice-looking assets.

This is why I was excited after my initial discussion with Jarred, Lori, and Brandon about joining the 1909 DIGITAL team. Jarred and I have been connected for almost as many years as I’ve been in the space. He and I would commiserate over coffee or lunch about how we think it should be done. The timing and the team were right for me to sign on. Most of us have sat on the brand side and had to prove our worth to the company. Many of us have worked on the agency side and needed to show real value to keep clients bringing in revenue and re-signing contracts. And we’ve all seen the pitfalls when you don’t operate with revenue (or at least measurable brand growth) as the ultimate goal.

That’s not to say we’re a cold, calculating bunch. Far from it. Our team was formed by bringing together a multitude of skill sets. We have a breadth of experience and a depth of expertise. We don’t shy away from hard discussions about how digital marketing drives business results.

I’m not the typical marketer and 1909 isn’t the typical agency. What goals can I smash for you?

Bringing Kurves to 1909 | Sierra Holmes

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American Writer and social media enthusiast Jay Baer was quoted saying, “Content is fire, social media is gasoline.” I’ve built a business around this theory…and it’s what connected me to Lori, one of the fearless founders here at 1909 DIGITAL. We both have an appreciation for the power of social media in a strategic marketing plan. A few years ago that appreciation collided with a new opportunity: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis was looking for Social Media Ambassadors. Lori was tasked with finding the right people. Somehow it led her to me. It was the beginning of a relationship built on a mutual passion for influencer advertising. It was one of my first long-term gigs in the social world. The rest is history really…but let’s dive into it.

As my social media presence continued to grow, so did my influence. I used my social media platforms to connect my audience with brands that I loved and respected. I gave my honest opinion on all things, and my readers loved me for it. I knew I was on to something. This was no longer a hobby…it was a full-on business.

Over the years I honed my craft. As an Influencer and Digital Content Creator of my own brand, Eclectic Kurves, I’ve helped numerous companies create and cultivate dynamic content. It’s my passion and I couldn’t be more excited to bring my expertise to 1909 DIGITAL!

What I Love Most about Digital Marketing

Connecting immediately. I love the pace of digital marketing. Creating content that is available to the reader with little processing time is imperative to brands who want to stay cutting edge. Having your finger on the pulse of what’s important to an audience is everything. Though print marketing will always have a special place in my heart (and the marketing/advertising industry), digital is fast paced, creative and…the future.

What I “nerd-out” about outside of Digital Marketing

My new nerdy-passion is…gardening! It’s my therapy! If you would have told me a year ago I would own over 25 plants I would have laughed. I’ve never felt like I inherited my Grandfather’s green thumb, but over the Stay-at-Home order I decided to give gardening a go. I suppose it’s important to note I have kept my office snake plant alive for over a year, so basically I’m a pro? Hardly…but check back to see if I kill any of these plants once the outside opens back up.

 

Fun Facts About Me

Let’s see…

  1. I’m afraid of clowns.
  2. I think candy corn is gross.
  3. I’ve been obsessed with I Love Lucy since I was a kid.
  4. I played the Viola up until I graduated from High School.
  5. I wrote and produced and casted a play in High School.
  6. I’m a stylist. (Fashion is my passion, peeps.)
  7. I will never understand people who like to pop bubblegum bubbles.
  8. My favorite color is technically a “negative” ( I love black!). I also like red…and rainbows.
  9. I feel the most calm when I’m by the ocean.
  10. I feel the most calm when I’m creating.

How many of those do we have in common? I’m secretly hoping there’s at least one other person reading this that hates candy corn (pssst…we’re meant to be friends).

Even if everyone loves candy corn, I’m looking forward to bringing my experiences to this incredibly gifted team of digital pros. 1909 DIGITAL just feels good and I’m happy to be on the journey!

You may not know me yet, but 1909 is where I belong | Ben Peterson

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“I AM, MYSELF, A CITIZEN OF NO MEAN CITY” – 1909 Indianapolis City Hall inscription

I’m new here, but that spoke to me. I’ll be honest, I know absolutely nothing when it comes to Indianapolis history (or Indiana as a whole for that matter). I’m brand new to the 1909 team and only know the broad strokes of the company’s inception.

But that quote stands out. I try to imagine what the context may be for when those words from former Indianapolis mayor Charles A. Bookwalter were first uttered. As I read them, they must be a retort to either a statement, implication, or idea – the insinuation presumptively being that a populace, or city, may be not worth a person’s attention if it is mean, average, or insignificant.

What Bookwalter’s statement literally means is, “I am from somewhere that is not insignificant.” But to me it says, “We do things our way, proudly and with great confidence.” It says, “We’ve been through hardship and came out the other side stronger than we were before.” It says, “We’ll always be here no matter what challenges we ultimately face.”

Simply put, it means, “Bring it on.” As I write this I’m on day three of my new job with 1909 Digital as Digital Project Manager, and already those words have resonated with me in a profound way. There is no team I’d rather be a part of than one that takes those values to heart and lives with that ideology constantly in the forefront of its thinking. Clients can rest assured that their every need is covered when they work with a team as hungry and resilient as ours. In the digital marketing world, helping clients reach their goals is absolutely what I live for.

I’m based in my hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, located about 90 miles east of the Twin Cities. I come from the land of the ice and snow (always wanted to use that in a professional bio). As Digital Project Manager, it’s my job to oversee project management and make sure that we are operating at peak efficiency in all facets of our operation. Basically, if we’ve got something that works, I’m in the background trying to make it work faster. If it can be better organized, streamlined, restructured, cleaned up, or upgraded, I’ll figure out how.

I joined the 1909 Digital team after previously working as Director of Business Development for a small local marketing firm in Eau Claire. It was an absolute pleasure to work with the types of small businesses that don’t always find themselves in a position to improve their marketing. If you’ve got a business that you want to grow, nothing would make me happier than to see you succeed. Prior to my marketing career I spent nearly a decade as a newspaper reporter, primarily covering sports and profile feature stories. I also managed a pair of bowling alleys for a restaurant/bar management company for a few years, learning very quickly that of all the skills I possess, bartending is not one of them.

When I’m not focusing on helping clients grow, I can usually be found behind the drumset. I’ve been playing drums for 20 years and have performed in a variety of settings across a wide range of genres (*Fun story below). I currently play in two bands and do freelance studio work as it’s available. I also co-host a podcast that focuses on local music promotion and discussing trends and topics relevant to the western Wisconsin music scene.

I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this team. Our brand exists to grow your brand, and I stand by our brand 100 percent.

*Story time:

I attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and was a part of the Blugold Marching Band – the largest Division III marching band in the nation. My freshman year on the drumline, we were wrapping up our first day of summer marching camp when the director asked if we thought we could have at least three of the four songs memorized and field ready by the end of the week. Being a freshman and having no idea if that was possible, I leaned on the section leaders to answer. They said sure, but like any typical college student, they wanted to know why the rush?

“Oh earlier today I got off the phone with the Green Bay Packers,” the director told us. “Yeah, it seems they were going to have a retirement ceremony for this guy, Favre? Anyway, he came out of retirement and plays for the Jets now so they cancelled the ceremony and they’re looking for halftime entertainment this coming Monday.”

My first collegiate music performance was in front of 80,000 people at Lambeau Field for the first Monday Night Football game of the 2008 NFL season between the Packers and the Vikings. It was, to say the least, a wild experience.

Leveraging your PPP loan to digitally transform your business

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Let’s set the scene: You’re a small or midsize brick and mortar business that depends on foot traffic, or maybe you need those in-person meetings to survive. You’ve miraculously received your PPP loan from the government. Congratulations! But not so fast. The many restrictions put on businesses like yours have you rethinking how you’ll operate in the weeks and months ahead.

PPP (which, fun fact, stands for the Paycheck Protection Program), is a loan program built into the CARES Act. It incentivizes small businesses to keep workers on payroll. But what if your current staff isn’t equipped for the essential shift your business has to make to become more digital? As a business owner you need a different team and, according to the requirements of PPP, you need them on your payroll within eight weeks of receiving the funds to be eligible for loan forgiveness.

Some of our clients have already had to completely change their go-to-market strategy overnight. In those cases they had an agency already in position to help. Your loss of revenue may not allow for new investments like a digital marketing agency right now. That’s fine! There’s another option for kick-starting your businesses’ digital transformation. It starts with building your own killer digital team, or even hiring one key digitally savvy employee who will keep you connected to your audience.

PPP is required to be used for payrolled employees, not agencies. 1909 DIGITAL has no skin in the game here. We just want to help our community thrive. So, from our team of big-hearted digital marketing pros to you hard-working business owners, here are our tips for making the most of your PPP dollars before the window of opportunity passes you by.

WHAT SHOULD MY BUSINESS DO WHILE ITS DOORS ARE CLOSED?

You need to have some solid digital strategies in place first, then knock those strategies out of the park by hiring an epic team to carry them out. Beyond simply riding out this wave, focusing on digital transformation through key staff hires will set you on the path to success when you reopen.

  • Don’t hide. Choose a digital platform that makes the most sense for your audience and share updates about how you and your business are faring. 
  • Give your loyal following reasons for sticking with you. Remind them why they’ll want to return the second you re-open (safely). Take them along the journey with you. Show that you’re human. 
  • Stay true to your brand and tone. Don’t have a brand and tone? This is a great time to discover it, and hone it. 
  • Create consistent content that is relevant for your business. If you can’t promote your in-real-life services, shift to sharing your industry expertise or curate useful resources.
  • Invest in digital advertising. And do it right. Directly target your audience using Facebook Business Manager rather than just boosting posts. If you’re a non-profit, ensure that you’re using your $10k Google Ad Grants.
  • Update your web presence with your current status. Let your audience know how they can reach you and what services you are offering during this time. Your homepage is your front door right now. So is your Google My Business listing, Facebook, etc.

WHO CAN I HIRE TO DO THIS STUFF?

Understandably, PPP doesn’t mean you have a bottomless pit of money to spend. Instead, you want to mitigate current risk and get your people back to work. Take a breath, take a minute, and take in these brief job descriptions. At this stage of your digital journey, a generalist that has some experience in a few of these roles is probably a better fit than a specialist who can only do one. Consider what may be the best fit for your team and your business needs right now.

Digital Marketing Strategist: The one-stop-shop of digital marketing skills. This role will be able to speak to the complete online user experience behind your brand.
Who you’re looking for: Someone who understands how to build your brand, target relevant audiences, optimize conversions (clicks, views, purchases, engagements) to reach your goals, and plan strategically across all digital channels and platforms.
 
Social Media Manager: Social media is the virtual front-of-house for your business. If you’re doing it right, you have a savvy pro (who you trust to speak for you and your brand) stationed on your accounts nearly 24-7 to hold down the fort. It’s tough for a business owner to give up the keys, for sure, but there’s so much more than just publishing a post or two. You need backup. Level-up with a social media manager who will serve as an online community manager for your Facebook group, LinkedIn group, or otherwise.
Who you’re looking for: An experienced social media campaign producer, able to ideate creative content, strategically schedule posts, assess and discern engagement behaviors, track metrics and shift based on findings. Depending on your platform needs, it’s helpful if they can crush an Instagram Story.
 
Digital Marketing Manager: Your website and web directory business listings are one of the first places a prospect or customer interacts with or locates your brand. Brick and mortar and B2B often businesses succeed in spite of their web efforts. You need to make it easier for customers to do business with you. This could mean a website refresh that makes it easier to contact you. It could be setting up an ecommerce website, adding online ordering capabilities or digital product catalog to your current website. This role will be key to the success of your digital transformation.
Who you’re looking for: This isn’t a place to skimp on experience or payroll. Many times a business new to digital will hire a co-worker’s kid fresh out of college or the VP’s niece or nephew. The person in this role should skew more technical than creative and not be afraid of acronyms like SEO, CMS, and GMB. They should know a spider isn’t just an insect and that WooCommerce isn’t something Rick Flair used to yell. You are looking for a geek, and unlike your high school days we mean that fondly.
 
Digital Advertising Coordinator: Don’t assume that the Social Media Manager should also do your Facebook ads. There’s so much more to paid digital advertising. There’s Google Adwords, (which is a whole different skill set), and there are display ads, (like banners on websites). Social advertising strategies run deep, and change by the day.
Who you’re looking for:Someone with experience building digital advertising campaigns, A/B testing, optimizing, and reporting on their results. Certifications are available for many advertising platforms and show coordinated effort and specific knowledge.
 
Email Manager: If your business is lucky enough to have an existing email list where subscribers have opted-in to receiving communication from you, email them. But also don’t annoy them. An Email Manager can help sort all this out. They ensure your lists are being optimized, templates are well-designed, copy is written for conversions, and that you’re testing to get the right results.
Who you’re looking for: A strategically-minded person who has prior experience within an ESP (email service provider) and is ready to take your businesses’ content and make magic happen by getting it to the right audiences’ inboxes.
 
Digital Designer: Depending on the level of visual resonance your business and brand holds, a designer can take you to new heights—especially when your audience is only connecting with you virtually. A designer can bring your content to life through video, graphics, memes, and all of the other visual languages of the internet. When it comes to digital platforms, a graphic speaks a thousand words.
Who you’re looking for: Someone who can talk the talk with file types and doesn’t bat an eye at resizing a piece of content to ensure it’s just the right fit for that digital platform. A great digital marketing designer can elevate your brand and make it stand out on a crowded social platform or in an email inbox, all while keeping the look and feel true to your business.
 
Digital Copywriter: This person will be able to walk in and dive into your brand, tone, and style like they’ve lived it their whole lives. They will be able to write content in short-form for social media, medium-form for blogs, or long-form for web, press releases, or white papers. They can also serve as a copyeditor for your content.
Who you’re looking for: You’re looking for someone who can shift tone and style for the audience of the platform they’re writing for, while still staying true to the nuance of your brand. They are independent workers and can do their own background research to fill in gaps, check on the details, and ensure consistency.

One or all of these roles can make a business shine as you shift to a digital focus. Often, you’ll be lucky enough to find a highly skilled person who’s a great mix of a number of these positions. In any case, it’s helpful to keep the above skills in mind when considering your next investment. Wherever you find yourself as a business owner, we hope this time can be one of transformation.

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