Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Snellgrove.
Chris, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began my professional career selling marketing solutions to car dealers in 1994 for Trader Publishing Company. I quickly grew my book of accounts to $200K/month and became the number one rep in the country for six years straight. My income grew from $35k/year to over $235k/year in 8 years. We were selling classified ads in a cheaply produced magazine (Auto Trader) and making crazy money. As often the case in these situations, the company fired me and many of the higher paid reps. I regrouped and raised $500k to begin a competing magazine in 2005. My new company Smart Media Solutions LLC produced CarSmarts Magazine and by 2008 we were hitting revenues of $4.8 Million in four markets. The old saying was true “when one door closes, another one opens”.
In 2010 following a dispute with my business partners I was pushed out of the company I had founded. Once again, I was faced with starting a competing magazine, but this time, I would be competing with my old company where I still retained ownership. It was a really tough decision, but when my entire sales force resigned at Smart Media Solutions and joined me, I knew I had to do it. I grew the new company to $2. 3M over the next few years, but by this time, print media was on the decline with the emerging digital market. So, in 2014 I began selling digital marketing solutions by forming Digital Media Nation. We are a full-service agency that offers Reputation Marketing, Social Media Management, Video Marketing, SEO, SEM and website development. Our central focus in on our Reputation Marketing service that is extremely unique and highly effective at helping our clients tune into their customer experience and then market the positive experiences to attract new customers to their business.
In the past year, I have raised two rounds of funding and we are quickly gaining market share in the reputation management industry. Where we previously only sold marketing solutions to car dealers, now we sell our services to healthcare professionals, home services, professional services and other local businesses. We have doctors, dentist, med-spas, plumbers, HVAC, hair salons, martial arts, attorneys, car washes, real estate, and car dealers as clients. While we won’t divulge earnings yet, we expect Digital Media Nation to grow to $25-35M over next five years.
Next month, we will be revealing our new brand Reputation Sensei at Digital Dealer in Las Vegas to the automotive industry. This service offering has produced dramatic results for car dealers in the past eight months and we are currently talking to General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles about becoming a preferred vendor. We have helped franchise dealers improve their online reputation from the lowest in the market to the number one position. This typically results in more consumers choosing that business and increasing sales. Our Reputation Sensei Marketing service uses trust to attract new in-market buyers our client’s business.
We are currently building a new office in Peachtree Corners to accommodate our growing support staff.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Many bumps, many obstacles, many struggles, yet we persevere.
Please tell us about Digital Media Nation.
We are a full service digital marketing agency, yet have a strong emphasis on Reputation Marketing. This is unique in the marketplace because everyone else does reputation management. Our service is really a combination of brand marketing and reputation management that produces a powerful strategy that attract new customers to our clients’ businesses.
I am most proud of the dynamic team that we have put together that makes us the great company that we are.
One thing that really sets us apart is our consulting and training that we do with every client. We seek to understand our clients’ business first and then work with them to help them develop a strategy to instill trust in their marketing.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I wish I had exited print media sooner and moved into the digital marketing space. Most business owners need what we offer and can grow their business from our services.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6621 Bay Circle,
Ste 160
Peachtree Corners, GA 30071 - Website: www.digitalmedianation.com
- Phone: 770-263-7455
- Email: c.snellgrove@digitalmedianation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalmedianation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digitalmedianation/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DigiMediaNation
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/digital-media-nation-peachtree-corners
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