We were lucky to catch up with Ronda VanBuren recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ronda, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

One of the biggest challenges to profitability within the marketing industry is the perception amongst some C-suite executives and business owners that marketing is a discretionary cost, rather than a strategic investment. This perception manifests particularly during economic downturns, as marketing budgets are often the first to be slashed.

However, the reality is that effective marketing plays a vital role in driving customer acquisition, brand awareness, and ultimately, revenue. Often, the marketing team campaigns are the only point of contact for potential customers before they interact with your website or enter your store. They can reach thousands, and sometimes even millions, of individuals, significantly influencing brand perception and purchase decisions.

By undervaluing the strategic role of marketing and its direct impact on the bottom line, businesses are hindering their own growth potential.

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.

I always knew I wanted to work for myself. While most kids played school, I would play business owner. My challenge was that I did not know what business I wanted to own. Most of my younger years were spent as a field salesperson, traveling the US. While it was great, I started to get burnt out and ready for something else. My younger sister called me and said she was getting her Master’s in E-Commerce (2003). I asked her a few questions about the degree and started classes online two weeks later. I fell in love with digital marketing and knew it was where I wanted to be.

What problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others?
My team stands out from other marketing companies because we help clients pull together all the marketing pieces, not just our services. For example, We create a dashboard for several of our automotive dealerships for all the vendors that touch their websites. We overlay that information with their CRM data (Sold, Leads, Costs, etc) to give them a better picture of ROI and traffic. The dashboard was created from the frustration our clients were experiencing when evaluating vendors and spending.

What are you most proud of?
I am proud that most of our client base has grown through client referrals. There is no greater compliment than a referral.

What are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc? You are not just another client or dollar sign when you work with our team. We become passionate about your business and want you to succeed.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After COVID-19, we signed a large client with several locations. In my gut, I knew we were to invested with this client from a profitability standpoint. The client was 60% of our revenue. The first year went great; we helped them grow, and the relationship continued to expand until they hired a new VP. The new VP decided they could employ someone internally for less money than our services. We lost 50% of our business in one phone call.

After picking up the piece and watching this new employee struggle (1 person replacing a team of 6), I decided to launch a new digital product to help the single or small marketing teams. We are working on the products and website right now. The goal is to launch in April 2024.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The three books that changed the way I manage my team and change the way I think are: 1) Powerful by Patty McCord
2) Daring Greatly – Brene Brown
3) Everything is Figureoutable – Marie Forleo

After I read Marie Forleo’s book, I joined her B-School, which I highly recommend. The course works for everyone (just starting to expert levels, in my opinion)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bellavmarketing.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thebellavmarketing.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bellavmarketing.com