Why Marketing by the C Exists
Written by Carl Foisy
Getting my start in digital marketing and media in 2006, the landscape was much different than it is today. Back then, Google was still kinda new, people used something called City Search to find things, the big social media companies weren’t around, and very few local businesses had their own website. I have seen things like group deal programs, and off-the-wall web network come and go. User generated review websites haven’t changed much and are still only out for their bottomline. Media companies big and small have all transitioned to a ‘digital first’ approach, while still requiring customers to purchase the old traditional newspaper, radio or TV ads in order to get access to the web products. Even petty hosting resellers and domain hijackers are still looming and taking advantage of those who don’t know any better. To these days, seeing things like the ‘influencer’ hype and ‘all-in-one’ subscription style products using robotic methods to dehumanize customer interactions. Through all of these changes, and new marketing industry focal points, very little has changed with regards to being genuine and authentic, planning ahead for sustainability, recognizing the audience, and the good’ol ‘Run-Review-Refine-Repeat’ technique to marketing.
After several years working at a small media company selling advertisements to and managing a book of business with over 120 locally owned businesses, it became clear to me that these small businesses did not need to be buying ads, rather they needed to get better control over their own organic marketing plan and stuff. At the time I was selling digital real estate for web ads linked to bad looking customer websites that didn’t have clear conversion avenues. I sold lead generation programs to businesses that sometimes didn’t have the capacity, know-how or the tools to use the leads we created effectively. Of course there were traditional print ads, and how un-trackable they can be especially when the client dictates the design, text and visuals. Convincing business owners to pay hard earned dollars in these ways was not fulfilling. So I decided to change the way I helped businesses…for the better and more focused on achieving their needs and goals.
Originally stepping out on my own as ’San Jose Carl’, just a couple years later I thought of (and registered the domains for) Marketing by the C. My core mission to be a local reliable source for high quality and smart marketing/media needs has yet to change. And even after inventing new techniques like Blurvado or spearheading metaverse experiences with Virtualocity, very little has changed with my fundamentals and business values. Marketing by the C is unlike other marketing outfits, as each business owner we work with deals direct with me (Carl) to ensure a high level quality control and efficiency. And Marketing by the C exists because there is demand for what I do, and I’ve figured out how to provide and manage sustainable solutions affordably….its what business owners want and need. Welcome to Marketing by the C!
