Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Bridges.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Back in the early days of eHow.com I was a contributing writer of how-to articles as a way to make extra money while attending college for marketing. As my number of bylines increased, I was able establish myself as an expert in writing about various topics pertaining to running a small business, with a heavy focus on small business marketing. This lead to being approached by several other publishers, and eventually business owners, to write white papers, press releases, and blogs and articles for their companies’ websites. As my client load grew, I hired on a few writer friends to help me manage the work flow, and ran a scaled down version of Optimized Scribes from my kitchen table for several years while juggling school and a growing family.
When social media marketing and local search optimization became more imperative for local businesses to succeed, I shifted my focus to these areas. It was during this time that I developed our comprehensive small business marketing program, which is the foundation of what we do today.
My husband and I opened our first Norcross office in 2014. In just three years, we’ve grown to have a dozen employees and a solid presence in both our local market and in Wisconsin, where we are working on establishing our second office.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think that it is really possibly to have a smooth road when you grow a business from your kitchen table. I never had a budget to help grow the business, so this company was very organically grown from day one. While it has made our road a bumpy one, it has allowed me to find some really innovative and cost effective strategies that I can duplicate when working with my clients’ marketing budgets. It also allowed me a unique perspective into what it is like growing a family business, so I understand where my clients are emotionally and financially when they seek our help.
The single biggest challenge we’ve faced is building the right team. Working at an agency like ours is very fast paced and attention to detail is an absolute requirement. People who thrive in this environment, without burning out, are few and far between. We are very lucky to have found the team members we have today.
Please tell us about Optimized Scribes.
We are a full-service internet marketing agency. We offer web design, local SEO, social media marketing, online reputation management, email marketing, PPC, and copywriting services.
Where we differ from the hundreds of other agencies in the Atlanta market is that our passion is helping small businesses succeed. Our small business clients get the same level of attention and care that the big corporations do at other agencies. Our marketing solutions are built with the small service oriented or “Main Street” business in mind, and our services are affordable to these types of businesses. Marketing doesn’t have to cost a fortune to be effective.
I think that the successes of our clients is what we are most proud of. In addition to our paying clients, we take on a number of community based clients pro-bono. We’ve been handling internet marketing for Lionheart Theatre and the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce for the last couple of years here in Norcross. It’s great to be able to give back where we can.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I grew up in Pittsburgh, and my Grandmother was a five foot tall spitfire and my Grandfather was a laid back mechanic that was always tinkering with cars or old Harley Davidson motorcycles in his garage. All of my favorite memories involve the two of them, so it’s hard to pinpoint one. I spent a lot of my childhood hanging out on a swivel stool in his garage watching him work, and I really miss those days most. I learned a lot about not taking anyone’s crap from her and a lot about patience from him. Good lessons from both!
Pricing:
- Social media marketing packages start at $300 a month
- Internet marketing packages start at $750 a month
Contact Info:
- Address: 3091 Holcomb Bridge Rd, Suite E-1
Norcross, GA 30071 - Website: www.optimizedscribes.com
- Phone: 770-696-1135
- Email: jill@optimizedscribes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optimizedscribes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OptimizedScribes/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/optimizedscribe
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/optimized-scribes-norcross
- Other: https://www.upwork.com/agencies/~017e80b7f37368c04b
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