We were lucky to catch up with Ali Berkel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ali, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Absolutely! Many Social Media Managers take a course or don’t have experience in the industry where their clients are working. That’s where my business differs. I actually started as a Venue Sales Manager for the Telluride Ski Resort selling luxury wedding Venues and working with dynamic vendor teams! When the pandemic hit and vendors wanted to make sure they still had a presence online and book into the future I started working with a few Wedding Industry vendors in my local community. From there my business naturally took off – when vendors realized they could take social media off their LONG To – Do list it was a win, win. My clients referred me to their friends and my business really took off. I just hit 3 years in business and am now hiring a TEAM!

Ali, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Social Media Manager + Web Designer – Established in Feb. 2021 My business Ali Berkel Collective is a Collective of Social Media Managers and Web Designers – offering services like Social Media Managment( easily our most booked service) Content Creation, Video Editing, Graphic Design, Copy Writing, Pinterest Management, and Admin tasks. In 2024 we are adding on more Web Design offerings!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Client Referrals! A few of my clients have been working with me for 2- 3 years! When they talk me up in a room of Small Business Owners + Entrepreneurs and a new referral reaches out. That is the ultimate compliment!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I really started with my local community – vendors that knew me personally and worked with me on countless events. I think that’s where many social media managers go wrong – start with businesses in your community that you know personally and then build!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @aliberkelcollective

Image Credits
Main Head Shot – Abie Livesay Photography