By Linda Schmid
With a variety of skills in his pocket: programming, design, technology, and databases, when Jim Mosier decided to leave his job in tech, he started a marketing firm. Mosier Data was formed in 2005 and the company was thriving.
Developing a Marketing Company
In 2016, a walk-in client (a true rarity as most clients called or emailed) sought the company’s help. She explained that she had inherited a generational shed company and sales were in a woeful state. Upon review, Mosier’s group found that the website was not working properly; people tried to submit requests and they weren’t going through. Mosier built a website for this company and included a very simplistic configurator and quoting tool. The client began seeing quotes every day. When this client went back to Mosier’s team asking for further improvements, they developed a marketing plan with Google ads and more. Soon the client had to hire two full-time people to respond to quotes all day long.
When Mosier and team looked back at their success stories, this shed manufacturing company stood out from the crowd. Further, when the COVID pandemic hit and many companies’ business slowed to a trickle or they shut down, this shed business seemed impervious; the client’s business was going gangbusters! At this point, in 2020, ShedMarketer.com became a stand-alone brand.
Mosier said this move made sense for them because narrowing their focus made them more efficient. When a photography lens manufacturer contacted them, they had to learn all about that market; when a flower shop contacted them they had to learn all about that market. Now they are focused on the shed market, and with the large client pool and managing over a million dollars in ad spend, they have plenty of data to work with. This helps them in developing their marketing packages, Mosier said.
The most basic element in online marketing is a well-built website that will encourage people to take the next step. Often people do not build their website this way because their focus is on branding. That is not the case with a website from ShedMarketer.com. They have found the combination of elements that is most likely to lead a prospective client to “conversion,” to take the next step in the process that leads to a sale, whatever that desired next step might be, for example requesting a quote or asking for a call back. Every element of the website is analyzed to encourage conversion, for example, where the call to action is located on the landing page or what color the buttons should be. The company has the science down and they are sharing it with their clients.
Marketing a Marketing Company
Mosier and team marketed this new venture through a book they published on the subject, as well as advertising with trade publications, attending trade shows, producing podcasts, and joining FaceBook groups. They also organized a manufacturer’s group to band together and solve industry problems.
The company got their start during COVID when the shed business was notoriously busy, as people who were spending more time at home decided to improve their home spaces. Then, as people started going back to work and the demand declined, Mosier said he and his team had to train dealers what to do to get leads. For instance, Mosier said, being on FaceBook Marketplace is a must for those in the shed-selling market.
2022 and ’23 were very good years for the company, Mosier added.
Marketing Packages
The company has expanded their offerings from packages for manufacturers to include offerings for dealers. While most of their business is focused on sheds; they have found that sheds, garages, carports, and other metal buildings are such intertwined markets that they have a hand in those niches too.
The company offers three package levels for dealers: Startup, Scale, and Dominate. The startup brings the essential framework: a basic website, FaceBook page, startup SEO, and a suite of tools to establish your name on the internet. The Scale package adds in FaceBook or Google ads, which it creates, monitors, and maintains along with landing pages to generate leads. The Dominate package is focused on mastering both Google and Facebook.
Besides the three marketing packages, there are other options if a company wants them. You can have them build your whole website and run your social media campaigns if you like, along with other things.
Jim and Angela Mosier and Chris Goingo, ShedMarketer.com’s Management Team
Company Culture
The culture has grown as a result of the COVID pandemic; many people worked at home and when Mosier asked them to return to the office as things were coming back to normal some of them chose not to return. Others were reluctant to commit to working full time in the company’s office in Lakeland, Florida, so eventually Mosier decided to try on the premise that productivity is more important than having people together in a specific location where you can monitor them.
When people are joining a team, especially one that is largely remote, Mosier believes you must be careful about who you hire. Mosier said he finds great employees by careful interviewing. For example, you can get a feeling for how dedicated a person is to their responsibilities by asking them what they do when they find they are running behind on a project, and he added, you can get a feeling about whether someone is trying to hide something. He is not looking to trip people up; he is looking for shared values. He likes to see openness, a generosity of spirit, and personal responsibility. He gives a new-hire a 90-day probation period so he can get a feeling about how they perform. Do they miss deadlines? Are they producing quality work?
This process of working to find the right people wherever they may be, then allowing them to do their job without direct supervision has worked well. Mosier has rock-star employees in diverse locations, like the Philippines, India, South Africa and the U.S. He believes it works, in part, because of the company culture. They have an overall company meeting once a month and weekly departmental meetings, all virtual, where they discuss all projects and make sure they are on track. They have fun virtual activities, such as quizzes and meetings where lunch is delivered to employees wherever they are. The company also pays for employees to further their education. They are paid to research and source workshops or classes that will help them in their job. Further, Mosier said he pays his employees well, making it a little difficult to find another position that matches the benefits employees already have.
An Abundance Mindset
While Mosier has many ideas about how to market successfully and finding and retaining quality employees, he does not advocate holding your hand close to your chest. “Try and have an abundance mindset,” Mosier said. “Don’t be afraid to interact with companies at a trade show because you think they are competitors.” Instead, Mosier advises becoming friendly with the industry, even competitors. “Be open to conversation and collaboration.”
When you have that kind of openness and you try to help others, Mosier believes that it will come back to you. “Look for ways to help someone else with your knowledge,” he said. “That’s my best sales secret; don’t try to sell them.” GSCB
