We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Darryln II Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Darryln II, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

My company does not just create content. We first find out what our client’s brand stands for. What is the brand’s vision? Then, we create a plan.

We pride ourselves on finding gaps, then meeting the need to support business continuity. For instance, a client from Texas contacted me and asked to work with me based on what he saw through the Steeze Marketing social platforms.

Steeze Marketing’s first job is to analyze the client brand to see if our morals and ethics align. Once we’ve determined that they are a good fit to work with, we dive into their digital platforms, looking to identify gaps that might hinder business growth.

The first meeting with the client is our “vision meeting”, which allows the client the opportunity to share what they imagine for the future of their business. After they articulate that vision to us, we share the gaps in their digital footprint identified in our analysis. So, now we have their vision along with our recommendations to expand their digital footprint. From here, we create a strategy to help them reach their desired goals.

We stand out because we don’t sell frozen products. All our services are fresh, organic, and customized for our client’s needs and preferences.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Darryln Johnson II, the owner, and CEO of Steeze Marketing, LLC. I never saw myself as an entrepreneur. As a matter of fact, I thought of myself as majoring in “basketball”. But as I matured, I realized that basketball was only a vehicle to the next level, and in this instance, quite literally.

After college, I had the opportunity to go overseas to play basketball. That’s where I really found my love for marketing and branding. Although I averaged a good number of points and rebounds as a player, I saw other players who averaged similar numbers, but they received better contracts. So, as I observed that, I started to see that they had 1) a fan base; 2) edited pictures and videos; 3) a recognizable logo; they had a BRAND.

I was so intrigued by this, when I returned to America, I started to dig into the marketing and branding industry. I was excited about what I learned, and I was anxious to apply this new knowledge. My career started as a leasing and marketing manager, at a housing company. There I was also able to learn the elements necessary to establish my own business. In 2020, I made that leap from the corporate world to the life of an entrepreneur.

The marketing and branding industry is very saturated. As our business progressed, it was evident that Steeze Marketing had to evolve from finding a need and filling it to creating those needs and filling those gaps that the client may not be aware of.

Steeze Marketing takes pride in helping people grow in their businesses. Generally, when people hire a marketing and branding company, they do so to help them create content for their brand, perhaps find a color scheme that represents the brand, create a logo, etc. Although we do those things, we also make sure that the strategies we employ convert to sales for that brand.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I believe the most effective strategy for growing your business clientele is this…READY? Be authentic! Be who you say you are and always respect the relationship above and beyond the sale.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

People often come to me when they are stuck in their creative process. When we are able to look through the lens of the client and learn who they are, and what their passion is, I can then create a digital story that lets their potential customers see the value of their brand. When we receive that positive feedback–confirmation that we understood the assignment and they are reaping the results they hoped for–that is the greatest reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.steezemarketing.com
• Instagram: @steezemepleasee
• Facebook: Darryln Johnson II
• Linkedin: Darryln Johnson II
• Youtube: The Steeze Show
• Other: Facebook Business: Steeze Marketing: The Creative Culture

Image Credits
Steeze Marketing, LLC