When Chris Rodgers founded Colorado SEO Pros in 2012, he wanted to create a boutique agency that could provide a suite of inbound marketing services for small- and mid-sized businesses, anything from international enterprise corporations to technology start-ups and e-commerce firms nationally and abroad.
Building a team of dedicated professionals capable of offering industry-leading services, his team crafted a proven track record of success in competitive verticals, adding a full scope of value to its clients’ digital marketing campaigns through creativity, dedication and an unparalleled desire to be the best at what they do.
This year, as the pandemic stormed its way across the country, Colorado SEO did what most businesses that could make the move did-it went remote. While some of its junior team members struggled with the adjustment early on, Rodgers knew he had to improve the company’s project management workflow and software usage to adjust.
“We had some fall-out early on and some of our clients had to pause and even cancel service with us,” Rodgers recalls. “We felt we needed to be flexible and help our clients with a bad situation that was out of everyone’s control. Many businesses are running scared, but that is an environment where there is a ton of opportunity. Specifically, there is a huge push into digital. Companies embracing that approach will likely gain market share and overtake competitors.”
Because its clients need constant engagement, Colorado SEO orchestrated video meetings to help keep the communications in check. Internally, it instituted a company policy that required cameras on, which helped hasten the element of human connection.
What Rodgers and his team found was a new environment equipped to better focus on workflow and cross-team efficiently. The remote environment forced everyone to consider how they were communicating and become more intentional with communication and workflow. “We will definitely carry-over the project management and workflow improvements, and may continue to offer remote work moving forward as well,” Rodgers says.
And there is something else that the Colorado SEO team noticed. In a world consumed with digital impressions and in a time when face-to-face connections are missing, print jumped its way back into being vogue. “People still appreciate print products, especially in a world that is moving further into the digital space,” Rodgers says. “Everything is, or is becoming digital, so targeted print products can offer a unique experience for people to feel and hold something of real substance. It helps bridge that emotional gap.”
As there is in any crisis, the lessons learned are the biggest benefit of all to those who read between the lines. “It is not the first, nor will it be the last crisis your company will face,” Hogg says. “Many enterprises have to close forever, so the winners who survive and transcend certainly have some key competitive advantages to look forward to-better agility, better finance KPIs, better practices, better fill rates, more focused people.”
Finding your way amid the madness and keeping hold of the engagements that drive your brand’s success are the safest bets to filling the emotional gaps your community craves. By making the right adjustments, you can transform your business model with a focus on quality, innovation and sustainability.
This article appears in the March/April 2021 issue of Connect magazine, published by NextPage, which can be found online here. If you would like a free print subscription to Connect, please click here.