Intro: A branding / marketing firm named Deksia is gaining prominence within the Grand Rapids area. They view brand development as a four stage process: Think (collaboration with client); Crawl (develop the way clients feel about a company); Walk (maintaining relationship via pr, networking, social media); and Run (designing effective advertising campaigns to achieve unmistakable brand recognition, stronger market share). Its a great metaphor- which is only appropriate given their branding expertise. For some further insight into this company we asked the following questions:
What service offerings does Deksia excel in?
Branding: Brand Creation, Marketing Plan, Logo Design, Graphic Design
Interactive: App Development, Website Development, SEO
Public Relations & Social Media
Advertising: Digital Marketing, Video Production
Why select Deksia over a less expensive marketing firm?
At Deksia, we get to know our clients. We conduct research with your existing, past and potential clients to find out who you are and who you need to be. Working with Deksia isn’t just paying a bill, it’s an investment for the long term. Deksia also charges hourly, so we only bill for the time spent actually working on a project.
Deksia seems to have gained a great deal of attention lately. How long has Deksia been around?
Deksia has been running since 2008 under the owners, Aaron Vandergalien and Joshua Conran. In 2011, Josh Ryther came on as a third owner.
What did the owners do before they started Deksia?
All three owners have experience owning other companies and a combined experience in art and design, construction, marketing and other entrepreneurial roles.
Successful marketing firms invariably get asked to take on additional tasks. How has Deksia’s service offerings changed since they started out?
In the beginning, Deksia focused mainly on smaller businesses and the beginning stages of a business; its identity and overall brand. Since then, Deksia has grown and offers services such as public relations, social media, online advertising and much more.
How large is Deksia’s staff now? What type of background do they typically have?
Currently, Deksia employs 5 people and its 3 owners, with plans to grow. Many of our employees start as interns or freelancers so we can be sure they are a great fit for Deksia before they come on full-time.
Do most of Deksia’s clients fit a particular niche? What types of customers benefit most from Deksia’s services?
Deksia doesn’t do “niche” markets – we span all industries. A lot of our clients are local businesses and many are newer businesses that are just getting their feet wet in the business world. The great thing about Deksia’s owners is that they have experience running many different businesses. So besides the marketing aspect that Deksia brings to the table, we are also experts on running a business and generating sales, which these newer businesses appreciate.
How have you found most of your customers?
Deksia is all about building relationships. Because we put a big emphasis on getting to know a company, we spend a lot of time with our clients. Often, we are referred to clients’ friends.
It appears as if marketing is undergoing some dramatic changes right now. What trends do you see in marketing?
Right now, almost every aspect of marketing is focused on content. If someone is reading text, they want it to be short and sweet but really stand out as great content. Social media, public relations and website content are all about the actual content – people love infographics and pictures of what a blog is talking about. The creative thinking behind an image of blog is so important right now to keep audiences intrigued.
What are Deksia’s plans for the future?
Right now, there are only a few services that Deksia offers that are not “in house.” In the next couple of years, we hope to bring every aspect of marketing into Deksia so that we can service our clients from end to end, from the thinking stages of identity creation, to building their website, to public relations and through to broad advertising.