It might surprise clients that our number one priority as a developing Digital Marketing agency in the Twin Cities is not to bring in new business. Rather, it’s finding clients that work well with our culture. Prior to beginning any new relationship we must determine if the fit is right. Snap is not a one-size fits all agency. If you are a business seeking our services, you first have to ask yourself if our culture works well with yours. Our process and personality might not mesh with every business.
“Culture is King”
If you’re looking for a digital agency to appease you without standing their ground, Snap is likely not the one for you. A business owner might reach out to us for PPC management, and after analyzing his online presence we realize that what he really needs is SEO complemented by a new content strategy. We will tell that company, politely but adamantly, why we’re not going to move forward with their original PPC plan. If that means parting ways, we’d much rather end our relationship with a good conscience than watch you spend money knowing full well you won’t see a return.
Honest and open communication amongst ourselves and with our clients is our top priority. If we passionately believe in our method we’ll push back. There’s a good chance you hired us because we’re experts. When it comes to SEO strategy, PPC, Web Design, and other digital marketing tactics, we’re confident in our decisions. On the other hand, if we’re faced with a dilemma regarding your business and it’s not an area we’re comfortable guiding you in, we’ll tell you. “Fake it ‘til you make it” is not our way of doing business. There’s a time to experiment, learn, and expand our knowledge, but clients don’t make great guinea pigs. If we need to refer your business to an agency with a different skillset more suited to your needs, we do it out of respect for your business, budget and our industry. Or, if your business offers a niche set of services we’ll likely look to you for content direction and industry customer behavior knowledge.
We do well when we work alone, but when we work together with our clients, we’re unstoppable. At Snap, we will give as much as we take from our partnership. We don’t want to a friendship, we want a marriage. That’s the level of commitment we bring to our relationships. As with any marriage, that means having difficult conversations every once in a while, not being in agreement 100% of the time, but at the end of the day we’re always working together to grow and learn from each other.
Strive for Success
It may sound like a given, but success is always our goal at Snap Agency. What isn’t a given is what success means to you. Do you want our efforts focused on one area of your business? Would you prefer for leads to come in the form of phone calls or contact form submissions? These are the questions we have to work together to answer in order to grow your business. In order to be successful, we have to love our clients and their business as if they were our own. Meaning we won’t just work for you, we have to work with you. We have a lot of questions, especially at the beginning, so we can get an understanding of how your business operates and what makes it successful. Our work is always at its best when we can imagine ourselves in your shoes, we have to believe in the work you do day after day. If you don’t believe in your business, how can we?
Snap Agency Wins 2015 Outstanding Website Internet Advertising Award for Deneen Pottery! Congrats to all of the radical team members who worked on this. A photo posted by Snap Agency (@snapagency) on
One of the first questions we inquire of any new client is, “What makes you special?” When we have a sense of what makes your business stand out from competitors, we’re able to incorporate it into your overarching strategy. A stand-out marketing strategy must be unique to your business and showcase you as an independent, which is why we need to know what sets you apart. That way, try as they might, your competitors will never be able to replicate your success. We don’t pretend to be perfect. The truth is that we’re a team of humans, and every once in a while we make a mistake. When that happens, we ask for fairness and understanding. You can count on us to own up to what’s happened and take full responsibility. We do everything in our power to rectify the situation. While these instances are rare, we look at them as learning moments and never make the same mistake twice.
Support Each Other
When one of us is successful, both in and outside of work, we all reap the rewards. We think of each other as family. We don’t just take pride in our own work, but in each other’s work as well. When we share each other’s blog posts it’s not (just) to put our company name in front of more people, it’s to demonstrate our appreciation for each other. We believe in demonstrating gratitude. It’s much more common to hear “I’m grateful for the work you do,” than a simple “good job” around our office. One of the reasons we insist on only working with businesses we have confidence in is that you represent who we are, just as we represent you. When your business succeeds, we acknowledge your victory as one of our own. Your success is our success, and vice versa. We regularly check in to make sure you know exactly how your business is performing online. Your time and money is valuable, just as ours is. You’ll never be in the dark as to how your business is performing.
Tim was pretty thrilled to get his gambling on at The Iowa Clinic fundraiser last weekend! A photo posted by Snap Agency (@snapagency) on
We’ll celebrate your gains, and bear losses by your side. We want the very best for our clients, our consideration isn’t limited to the scope of your project. Because we believe in your business and your process, we’re proud to refer our friends and family to your business should they be in need of your services. One reason we never begin relationships with two companies competing for the same customers is to demonstrate our unwavering dedication.
Good People
We have what no other agency in the world can offer you: our team. At Snap we value personality first, experience second. We are a group that loves to be challenged, and loves to learn new things. In the world of digital marketing, nothing comes naturally. We believe that skill can be developed over time, but the willingness to share one’s ideas can’t always be taught.
It’s important that we employ individuals who work well together. Two heads are always better than one, and we’ve learned that by having a team of only the best, most well rounded people, goes much further than a group of experienced individuals that don’t enjoy collaboration. Day after day we share our ideas, we challenge each other, and most importantly we listen to each other. We take genuine interest in the work each other are doing, and offer our own input. We also trust each other implicitly. So if we have a new idea, or even just an important email to send we’ll often ask a team member for a second opinion to see if someone else can build on our inspiration. It’s not that we’re not 100% confident in ourselves, rather, we value each other’s opinions enough to always keep our teammates in the know on what we’re up to. Each of us look forward to coming in to work day after day and spending time with each other. We like for our interactions with clients to go the same way. At the end of the day, if your business is comprised of good, hard-working people who are open to collaboration, we’ll get along just fine.
Have Fun
Last, but most certainly not least, we have fun. It’s important for us to work hard, but we play hard too. Placing culture first means that we have to enjoy spending time together. As a group, we’re always looking for excuses to hang around after work, at lunch, you name it. Whether we’re talking about work, or just talking. We know one and other’s spouses, middle names, who is getting engaged, where we’re all from, and pretty much everything there is to know about each other.
“You guys just play pool and workout. It’s like you work at a frat house.” #OverheardAtSnap — Snap Agency (@SnapSocial) July 12, 2015
We want you to look forward to coming by our office to talk strategy. Just because they’re business meetings doesn’t mean they should be boring. We like to have fun, and work should be no different. Clients are always welcome to partake in our office events. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite ways to let off steam.
happy hourssnappy hours- game night
- pot lucks
- field trips
- walks outside
- ab workouts
- ping pong
- games of pool
- outdoors time in the parking lot
- guided meditation
- lunch outings
- xbox games
At the end of the day, though, some of our favorite memories are just talking with each other. We’re lucky to have an open space for facilitated conversation. Some of our best times together come from a marathon brainstorming session. Our positive attitudes and love for our people, our work, and our clients are what make us so successful.
If our culture sounds like a good match for your business e, give us a shout. In addition to being experts at ping-ping, pool, coffee runs and xbox, we’re also pretty good at web design, development, SEO, and PPC.