Listen to this articleFounded in 2010, Modmacro.com is an award-winning digital marketing firm that partners with select small businesses in Southern California and across the U.S. But their approach to helping companies grow is different than many. Below is our interview with Matthew Smith, CEO of Modmacro.
Q: What’s the best thing about Modmacro that people might not know?
A: Many people know us simply as a Southern California web design company. But Modmacro is an award-winning web design and digital marketing firm with a strong emphasis on content creation and organic SEO. Prospective clients often don’t understand our breadth of digital marketing and PR services. As such, we’ve recently upped our efforts to better communicate those services, and more importantly, the benefits thereof. We broadened our forward-facing messaging, like our website and quarterly email communications, to better explain how our services drive growth for small businesses.
To add another perspective on this question, I asked Phil, one of our core team members for his thoughts. His take is worthwhile because he spends most of his time on website design and front-end programming for clients. Here’s a summary of his thoughts: “Most people don’t know how much we sweat over seemingly small details—the things that actually have a significant impact on the final results, but appear to be nothing more than mundane minutia. Like the hours we’ll spend mobile testing a new site before it goes live, or the thoughtfulness we put into defining a color palette to ensure it’s lively and modern, while still keeping close enough to the company’s original look to avoid creating a disconnect between the old and new branding. Another important thing is the emphasis we put on ensuring a seamless SEO transition when launching a new website. We’ve come to find that few firms are handling this with the effectiveness and elegance that we do.”
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Finally, it’s worth mentioning that we have a strong software development background as well, so we can typically handle the creation of any advanced website functionality that clients request. Backend development is quite a bit different from common web programming. Our company stands out in this area with a team that has more than 15 years of experience authoring code in many languages, and a lead programmer with a Master’s Degree in Business Information Systems.
These are a few of the reasons why clients stick with us. We pay attention to the details, and we strive to identify and manage risks that could potentially damage our clients’ reputations, their perceived value in the marketplace, and their goals for growth. Our existing clients already know our dedication and ability. The challenge is to help prospective clients understand these differentiating factors and how they will affect their goals.
Q: What motivates clients to stay with the company?
A: In short, it’s the results they enjoy from our marketing efforts. We often say that our success is based on their success. That’s absolutely the case, because the work we do, the projects we roll out, the awards we win, the copy we so carefully craft, and the marketing campaigns we conceive are all worthless if the client doesn’t see measurable results. The primary goals for most businesses are simply to reach new customers and grow their companies. But we also help them to better understand the marketplace and who the ‘right’ customers are for them.
We also talk a lot about providing a boutique experience for our clients. This is clearly a cornerstone of our success, as clients regularly comment on how much they value and appreciate it. We know a great experience is not just important to clients, but it’s often hard to come by with other digital marketing firms, which is why we emphasize it in our messaging. Maintaining high availability for clients, being responsive as their companies grow, and adapting our marketing communications strategy accordingly are a few of the ways we provide that boutique experience.
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Q: Last year you announced the release of your book, Kill the Noise. Tell us something more?
A: Kill the Noise was our first major book to be published by Maven Publishing and made available at all major retailers. The book helps small business owners to develop discipline and focus on what it is they truly do best and avoid the distractions, wasted time and unproductive side projects. The noise. Kill the Noise also includes stories and examples that make for an interesting read and provide practical insights.
Q: What do you find most rewarding in terms of running Modmacro?
A: Running this company is more than my job, it’s my privilege and my passion. It’s not more important than my faith or my family, but it’s still near the top of the list.
I recently read where a CEO said that her top priorities were her team, their clients, and being profitable. And she emphasized that order of importance. All of those are critically important to me, but I was surprised that she made such a point of publicly announcing that clients are NOT her first priority. As the CEO of Modmacro, the most rewarding aspect of the work we do is to see our clients benefit from our time and talent. That means helping small companies to grow in big ways. In many cases, far beyond what they thought possible.
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What can we expect from Modmacro in the near future?
With 2016 already in full swing, we’ve got a lot of exciting things happening. We’re in the process of rolling out new user experience enhancements to Businessing Magazine, our digital publication that delivers information, insights and inspiration for small business owners and entrepreneurs. On a related note, I’ve been asked to speak at a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) event this summer about running a publication and content marketing. We have another book on the way, based on a popular column I write. That is coming along and will be released by Maven Publishing later this year.
But more than everything else, our team is excited about continuing to expand the public relations side of our business to support the content-heavy and organic SEO-heavy approach we’re known for. Everything we do is to build on the opportunities we can offer our clients and partners. For example, the supplemental content platforms, like books and digital magazines, are a great way to share information and lessons learned with others, but we also leverage these as marketing channels for our clients. One way is by offering advertising and sponsorship opportunities that allow small businesses access to target audiences in unique and powerful ways that few companies can cultivate.
