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Starting in 2019 you will start to see a lot more of us on the various social platforms. While we have always had a presence online, I never really took digital marketing very seriously. But as I looked forward to 2019 and started developing our company goals for the year, it became pretty apparent that marketing was a huge weakness for us. We’re pretty great at a lot of things, but we suck at marketing.

So, I started reading some books. And one of the common ideas that kept coming up was content marketing and the success so many companies were having with it. But creating a bunch of content and trying to push it out didn’t really appeal to me. We are a services company with a limited geographic market of a couple of hours from Chattanooga, TN. I’m not selling software or iPhone accessories, so reaching a huge, broad market probably doesn’t make a lot of sense. But then I read “They Ask, You Answer” and I had an “a-ha” moment.

In “They Ask, You Answer”, the author Marcus Sheridan’s strategy is based on two fundamental assumptions: your customers are smart readers who want you to educate them, and your best resource for doing so (the internet) is free. Most people now-a-days do research before making a serious buying decision, and I am pretty sure our solutions (which can oftentimes cost thousands of dollars) fall into the “serious” category. So, the concepts in this book resonated with me, as they were the way we were conducting business already…just not online yet.

Every day for over 15 years we meet with potential clients. We listen carefully to the challenges they want to overcome and the aspirations they have, and we thoughtfully offer our advice. Sometimes our best advice is great for the client, but it means that we won’t benefit from it. I am okay with that because I never want to risk our reputation by putting our profitability first. I sleep well at night knowing this is how we operate. And this philosophy seems to work-we generally have a 4-6 week backlog based almost entirely on word of mouth referrals.

So, why not offer this same advice and knowledge online? Why not share our expertise and experience with people? Sure, some, including our competitors, will take our ideas and knowledge for their benefit, but I believe that, just like our experiences with in-person meetings, we will generate a ton of goodwill, and ultimately people will choose to do business with us.

So be on the lookout for posts, pictures, blog entries, videos, white papers, case studies, FAQ’s, and maybe even a podcast. I have an amazing team here with deep and diverse skill sets. These guys/gals are heavy hitters with tons of knowledge. We hope to connect with you and share some interesting stuff and make some friends and customers along the way.