Welcome to the “Material Handling Helpful Tools Series”. This blog series will spotlight many different material handling professionals and provide helpful information for the material handling industry. Our goal is to introduce you to individuals and websites that can improve your success in the industry. Today, we will meet Matt Ford from Site-Seeker, Inc..
Tell us a little about yourself:
Growing up in a small coastal fishing town in the North East of England, I would walk to school everyday, kicking a soccer ball along the way. Every schoolboy’s dream was to become a professional soccer player. I was no different, and at 16 years old was fortunate to join my first professional soccer team. A soccer scholarship brought me to the USA several years later, and the opportunity to play collegiately and earn an education including a Masters in Sports Management from East Stroudsburg University.
After my playing days were over, and before turning to a career in digital marketing, I spent almost 15 years in the wild world of Sports and Entertainment managing events, teams and stadium/arena facilities. I met some crazy people along the way, particularly in the concert promotion business, but had the great fortune to be involved in some great events and performances.
As a kid, I was into golf, cricket, fishing and anything outdoors. While many of those hobbies still exist today, my wife Jenny and I spend a good amount of time involved in sports via our 11 year old daughter. We have a 3 year old chocolate lab named Kix who, at 125lbs, keeps us all in place. I dislike driving (anywhere) and if you ask Jenny, it is likely because she believes that I’m the worst driver to ever have been granted a license.
My pet peeve, not that I have anything against the Ozzies, is when people think I’m Australian and ask me to throw another shrimp on the barbie!!
What is your role in the organization?
I manage the day to day operations for Site-Seeker, Inc. and currently serve the organization as President. We have many technical experts at Site-Seeker, Inc. that are brilliant in their own unique way. Bringing them together and maximizing their strengths and talents to drive results for our clients is the essence of my role. It’s a combination of coach, quarterback and chief problem solver!
How did your career path land you in this role?
The entertainment business was getting a little taxing with lots of evening and weekend work; that wasn’t the best path with a young family. I was encouraged by friends and family to start an online retail business. While I had operated my own LLC’s in the past, the concept of an online store was all new to me, but we gave it a go and learned the art of e-commerce and digital marketing from inside the ropes. Along the way, I was introduced to Brian and Eddie Bluff. Within a few years, we joined forces and I became a partner in Site-Seeker, Inc. a few years ago. I’ve worked in five positions at Site-Seeker, Inc. since joining, and have a good handle on all parts of our business.
What is the most exciting aspect of your job?
Two main things excite me about this job. The first is providing strategy and direction to complex scenarios and making sense of chaos. Secondly, showing real results to common online problems and helping our clients understand the world of digital marketing is very rewarding.
What makes you (or your business) unique and sets you apart from the rest of the industry?
We get contacted quite often from companies that have tried to master online efforts themselves, or through a local or even overseas vendor. The reality is that there’s so much that goes into today’s modern marketing mix, that narrow angles of approach or one time efforts just don’t work. Site-Seeker, Inc. prides itself on being a full-service digital marketing agency and we handle all aspects of online marketing from design and development, to PPC and SEO, to content marketing and lead nurturing, to overall strategy and plan development. We also help hire and train employees for our clients and serve in a consultancy role thereafter.
Our approach is to first understand the problem, then create a plan to include various online integrated initiatives. Moving forward, what we all need to understand is that the way people shop online is changing our businesses. Whether it’s B2B or B2C, online content is being consumed by customers in various stages of the buying cycle. Whether they buy direct, comparison shop, or simply conduct some research, customers are engaging more and more online and they’re more educated when we, as business owners, first make contact with them. Knowing your customers and targeting content toward their habits, needs and tendencies, is all part of a successful online presence in today’s business environment.
What are the biggest changes you see in the industry in the future?
I see too many companies afraid to change their age-old marketing efforts. Whether it’s a lack of knowledge or fear of trying something new, many business owners are hesitant to introduce fresh programs and improve their online presence. One thing is for sure, as technology changes and customers in general become younger and their shopping habits become more tech-savvy, those that don’t adapt will fall further behind and the gap to competitors who have embraced change will only widen.
What is one tip or bit of advice that you can leave with our readers?
Whatever business you are in, get closer to your customers by building out a buyer persona profile of each of your customer types, then share that information with all of your staff. By doing this, you can align your efforts and ensure content, tools and resources meet the current and future needs of those groups that seek your services.
Phoenix, AZ 85009