Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hillary Applegate. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hillary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today undefined

The most unquestionably innovative thing I’ve done has been setting out to develop a career path in social media. When I started in 2013, it was not a known, respected, or budgeted career path. That excited me – I knew I could pave the way. Over the next decade, I developed teams of specialists to make up the modern social media team. This started with my first hire for a content moderator, then to a paid social specialist, all the way to content creators to produce social-first video. This wasn’t possible when budgets were $1,000 per month – but for a medium that garnered millions of impressions, copious social clout, and attention from executives and clients alike, we were able to justify the budget needed for full-scale teams. From content creators to moderators to analysts, we’re now seeing the budget and respect for the dynamic social media team required to run multimillion dollar organization social media channels. I am proud to be part of that cohort that paved the way for today’s teams.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Digital HQ is a creative and strategic agency that brings breakthrough marketing strategies to widely recognized brands across the U.S and agencies. In an age where consumers have endless options for content consumption and infinite scrolling is the norm, brands often believe they need to be ahead of every online trend to stay relevant. This isn’t sustainable, de-emphasizes creativity and can diminish making authentic connections with audiences. From digital marketing to executive leadership visibility to social media strategy, we deliver scalable creative and modern communications solutions that allow brands to build loyalty in an ever-changing, dynamic media landscape. In addition to representing brands in a wide variety of industries that include (but aren’t limited to) healthcare, technology and consumer packaged goods, we partner with global agencies, aligning as a true digital arm by delivering new opportunities for revenue through sales support and services.

While Digital HQ is headquartered in Austin, Texas, I’m very proud of the fact that our team of contractors works entirely remote throughout the U.S. A huge component to our growth over the last five years can be attributed to embracing true work life balance. Research has proven that prioritizing flex work amplifies productivity and empowers people to focus on work they’re passionate about. I believe that shines through in the work we do.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Giving people the opportunity to succeed. Earlier in my career, I leaned into how-to’s and specific processes to keep things moving. But what I found was that over-processing leads to less innovation and people are less likely to look for efficiencies, or feel like they can improve something.

Now, I am more focused on the end-point and support along the way. Whether it’s a campaign launch, developing a marketing strategy or building client relationships, I work with my team on the end in mind, how we have done things in the past and where we can improve, and most importantly, addressing what they need from me to be successful. I believe that if you notice something can be done better, raise your hand. Encouraging that collaboration and an always-improving mentality has allowed the team to flourish and bring fresh ideas, and we’re never settling for “just the way things have been done.”

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

Client building is relationship building. At Digital HQ, we have built our business through relationships, trust, and delivering great work. By investing into true partnership with a deep desire to see clients win, we’re able to continue growing our reputation and word-of-mouth referrals.
We had a team meeting recently and were sharing all the stories about our different clients, and it occurred to me: we have really incredible partners right now. Every single one of them is amazing. On our team Slack channel, we have a “#Client-Love” tab where we share all the wonderful things about our clients and what they’re saying about us. It’s a true lovefest that only can occur when you’re in the trenches together building beautiful work.
To me, it’s this appreciation, trust, and camaraderie that has been the biggest client builder for us. And I am endlessly grateful for each and every referral we have gotten over the last five years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dgtlhq.com
• Instagram: Digital HQ | Digital Marketing Agency (@dgtl.hq) • Instagram photos and videos
• Linkedin: Hillary Applegate – Digital HQ | LinkedIn

Image Credits

Digital HQ