Marketing Meetups: Derrick Smith
Derrick Smith has a background in counseling and wanted to study psychology and sociology to better understand how people work, an interest he transitioned from counseling into starting his own marketing service to help businesses communicate better and stand out in the marketplace to consumers.
“I came across a framework that resonated with me - it was how to do business but from a very empathic standpoint. Which lined up with an individual counseling session and working with people, putting yourself in their shoes and working with them. I’m learning that there is a better way to do marketing and a better way to present yourself, and a better way to serve your customer,” Derrick said.
As soon as he found out theCO was being built, he decided he wanted to be involved. He started attending free, open to the public, meetups and events. His first experiences were attending A.M. Creatives meetups as well as the COtoberfest and A Night of Storytelling.
“You get to see the value that theCO offers when you get inside this building,” said Derrick, “and you understand what goes on. Sometimes it’s hard for people to see the value in a co-working space until they’re here and they realize - oh, this is why it’s awesome, this is how it’s going to help me grow my business.”
He believes the biggest benefit of Marketing Meetups are the connections you make. He said sometimes you’re so focused on running your business, you don’t ever take time to step back and analyze your business's marketing and outreach. When you come to a Marketing Meetup you have the opportunity to receive feedback from a different perspective.
“If your website is not converting as you want it to, if you’re embarrassed by your website or if you’re frustrated by it - you should definitely come to website audits. It will make you more confident to put your website on your business cards and share it with your friends on social platforms because you know that it looks good, and you know that it serves your customer,” said Derrick.
Derrick’s Top Three Tips for Immediately Improving Your Website
Clean Up Your Header -Within the first three seconds of visiting your website, a user needs to understand clearly and quickly what it is you do for them.
Tell Their Story, Not Just Yours - It’s not that your business isn’t important, but people are coming to you to see how you can help them win the day.
Call To Action - You have to have a clear call to action. If it’s vague, like "Get Started" or "Learn More", it’s not going to work. Make sure people know what it is you want them to do.
Improve your website experience and get in-person feedback from Derrick Smith Marketing at the next Marketing Meetup: Website Audits on February 26th and March 12th, 5:30pm.