Digital Agility Media recently completed a pro-bono logo and website redesign for Greyhound Pets, Inc. and we are beyond grateful to Digital Agility for such a beautiful gift. We recently interviewed Marcy Spiker, Co-founder & Chief Cat Herder at Digital Agility about her company and the project.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How long have you been in business? How big is your team? Who is on your team?
Digital Agility Media is a full-service, digital marketing agency. We’ve been helping businesses and nonprofits get more leads, more sales and more donations since 2013.
Our core team is located in the Seattle-area and in California, but we have an extended team of specialized contractors in other parts of the country that help with various projects. The great part of our team is that every member has a unique skill-set and work experiences that they bring to the table. One of our founders, Steven Wolpern, has experience in both high-tech and teaching. Myself, I have a nonprofit and health insurance industry background. And Oliver Oytas, our lead designer and coder on the Greyhound Pets, Inc. web project, has worked in high-tech as well as with small businesses and non-profits.
How did your company get started? Did you always/or for a long time want to own your own company/be your own boss? How did you come up with the name for your company?
Digital Agility Media came into being a few years ago out of a desire to help some small businesses and startups that Steven and I knew personally. The founders of these organizations came to us needing help with specific projects – things like creating a website, maintaining a social media presence, creating a newsletter mailer and crafting an annual appeal.
From these small projects, we saw that there was a need. The companies and organizations we talked to were often not large enough to maintain their own in-house marketing team. Or, in some cases, they had their own small marketing group, but weren’t able to keep up with the ever-changing and increasingly demanding world of digital marketing. There was always another social media platform, SEO trend, or web development tool to learn.
This is why we love what we do for these companies, and why we feel we can be so agile (hence our name! ?) with what we do. Our team is focused on delivering results and working closely with our clients within a reasonable budget that works for them.
Every company is different. Every nonprofit is different. It’s therefore important to us not to deliver one-size-fits-all solutions and to instead really take the time to learn about what our clients need.
Do you have any office pets?
The true office manager around here is our super sweet (my description), occasionally grumpy (Steven’s description) smart and sassy, tabby cat Cleo. We also have a special place in our hearts for dogs, although circumstances don’t currently allow us to have one in the family. So helping with GPI was a great way to give back to our canine friends in the meantime. This project has inspired a new love of greyhounds!
Does your company only build websites? Or do you offer other services too?
We offer a full range of digital marketing services and can help with either a specific project or offer a bundle of services tailored to our clients’ needs. Digital Agility Media specializes in websites, SEO, social media, advertising, and content and email marketing.
What is your favorite thing to do?
Part of the fun of what we do is that each member of our team has a special interest. I enjoy working on projects that implement search engine optimization (SEO) on a new or existing website. I like getting a detailed look at where website traffic is coming from, what people are searching for, and how I can help get them the answer they’re looking for. I also enjoy helping our clients make the best use of the social media platforms best suited to their brand or mission.
Steven is our wordsmith and go-to technology problem solver. He likes to help our clients find creative solutions to their challenges.
Oliver is the artist on the team. His creative touch shapes every project we do for the better.
What is your most memorable project your company has done? (LOL not counting GPI)
Oh, for sure GPI! This was a fun pro-bono project that allowed all our team members contribute their skills. Even our intern, Haley, pitched in to help with data entry and graphics — and we were lucky to have her.
Another recent example was a website for a global semiconductor provider. We developed an elegant detailed product search tool to help their clients compare the features of the hundreds of electronic parts that they offer and present that data in various ways on different pages of the site. Creating the UI, responsive behavior, and technical backend for that tool was a fun challenge.
What advice do you have for someone looking for a web designer or marketing expert?
You want a marketing team that will really get to know you and your business or non-profit. Yes, there are common marketing strategies that apply most of the time and most websites have similar features. But you want to make sure that the marketing partner you hire puts together solutions tailored to your needs, your budget, and your goals.
Too many marketing companies will try to offer cookie-cutter solutions without really taking the time to understand their client’s needs. Find someone who you are comfortable with; Find someone that is eager to learn about YOU.
Do you have a top-tip for keeping large projects under control?
Digital Agility Media keeps on track with daily tasks using the project management tool Asana. It is a great tool. We also use Microsoft Teams for project communications. For large web development projects like GPI’s, we used Git and Bitbucket for version control and to help keep track of updates, enhancements and bugs to address.
Do you have a newsletter? what kinds of things do you include in your newsletter?
We welcome the community to join our newsletter to get tips and the latest trends in the world of websites, SEO, social media, email marketing and advertising.
How can people contact you or your company for more information?
Feel free to check out our site and contact us to set up a time where we can chat with you about your particular marketing needs.
