ASPIRE MARKETING AGENCY, INC. – HELPING CONSUMERS

Aspire Marketing Agency, Inc. → Consumers now have more options than ever, and it is up to businesses to differentiate themselves, build their reputation and relationships with customers, and find effective ways to drive sales through marketing. This is where Aspire Marketing Agency, Inc., located at COgro, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center’s premier co-space, steps in. Aspire was founded on the idea that local business can tell their story exceptionally well, and they are ready to assist businesses in telling their stories through marketing.

WHO BETTER TO TELL ASPIRE’S STORY THAN CO FOUNDER’S JONATHAN ROBERTS AND CODY THOMPSON.

Describe what your company does and its mission.

When did you start your company? What made you want to start your own agency?

• Aspire started in January 2019. It was founded on the idea that local businesses can tell their story exceptionally well. We’re here to help you grow honestly, in ways that are true to your spirit and self. Through exceptional storytelling, honest marketing, and cutting-edge techniques, we’re ready to spread your message.

What do you view as the top benefit your agency provides to your customers?

• Our ability to help communicate the unique story of their product, service, or business to their customers in an efficient manner. We use social media and other opportunities to grow your brand in the community. We aren’t chasing the next giant company–our backbone is made up of local business owners looking to grow and scale.

What made you choose the VTCRC as the home for your office/business? And why Blacksburg?

• We love the opportunity to network in the most professional, and social space in the VTCRC. We love the interaction and the energy of the microbusinesses and entrepreneurs in the space. Blacksburg and the NRV is where we started our professional careers and we fell in love with the area and its local businesses.

What are some recent achievements or news your company is most proud of and why?

• Recently moving into our new office space at COgro was wonderful and has really helped us focus. In addition, we hosted our first Intern from Virginia Tech, who helped us with our own social media and also some content marketing.

What do you find most rewarding about the service/product your company provides?

• We love storytelling and so through marketing we get to help our clients communicate the wonderful, and passionate time and care they put into products and services they offer.

What types of companies do you serve and in what industry or markets? What is your ideal client and why?

• We service small and medium sized businesses generally located in the New River Valley, although we do have the capacity to handle clients at a distance. Our ideal client is a forward thinking and open-minded business owner who is eager to use the latest and most efficient techniques

What do you do to get to know a customer’s business?

• Visit, interact, purchase, and analyze. We want to see the experience from the customer point-of-view and from the management’s perspective as well.

How do you measure marketing results or what are some measurable examples of success your clients have had based on your work?

• We try to base our results on the clients return on investment. Likes and comments are great, but if you aren’t making sales, we aren’t doing our jobs. We have seen clients grow their businesses by 20-30% based on a 3-5% increase in marketing spend. We have found that the more open-minded a client is, the more efficient we can be for them.

What exciting projects are you working on that you’d like to share?

• We recently just added some new services for one of our long standing clients that include helping redesign their website and also handling the review process from a customer perspective.

Learn more about Aspire Marketing Agency.

Written by: Nicole Luth, Global Partnership Coordinator
nicole.luth@vtcrc.com