Today we’d like to introduce you to Martina Brugnoni.
Martina, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My career story starts when I was 18, in Upstate New York. Although I was in college, I was already dying to get into a professional work setting so I contacted a friend of my fathers who was a State Farm insurance agent and asked him for a job. I worked at the agency throughout college and for a few years after, and absolutely loved it. My favorite thing about it was working with our clients. Since I was a marketing major in college and always had a passion for it, I began to explore marketing opportunities and landed a position at a media company in Rochester.
During my five years there, I developed marketing campaigns that worked specifically for insurance agents, since that was my background. I grew an awesome client base, primarily through referrals. Eventually, I started presenting our marketing best practices to groups of insurance agents and even hosting conferences. When I was 27, I decided to move to Dallas. It was within a matter of weeks that Dallas really opened my eyes to all the possibilities that were out in the world. I think the sunshine definitely helped, too. I started my company, Uptown Marketing in March 2019. Uptown Marketing has had steady growth since then, and I started our sister company, Uptown Talent in February 2020.
Has it been a smooth road?
NO! Lol, but seriously, there were definitely challenges along the way when starting my company. The first (and worst) was a big legal challenge. Back when I was a 23-year-old who didn’t know any better, I had signed a non-compete contract with my former company that stated upon leaving, I would not be able to work in the marketing field anywhere in the world for two years. So I found a really badass attorney who helped create a new agreement that would invalidate the original one. Lesson learned, don’t sign anything until you really, really understand it!!!
When I started Uptown, it was just me and my notebook. My next challenge was convincing some of the smartest and most talented girls I know to leave their stable, secure jobs to join me in a new opportunity that was not a guarantee. Luckily I had a lot of confidence in what I was about to do, and the girls saw that. Within a few months we had a kick-ass team of five amazing girls.
Another big struggle along the way was being in different cities. Not only were we building a brand new company, but we were doing it from halfway across the country. Needless to say, we spend a lot of time texting, on FaceTime, phone calls, etc. It’s definitely challenging to not be together in an office every single day, but we make it work.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Uptown Marketing – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Uptown Marketing does online marketing campaigns that are specifically designed for insurance agents. We do everything from SEO to Google Ads to social media marketing.
I like to think we have a reputation for really high-level customer service. One thing that’s unique about us is that we will always prioritize service over sales. Most companies in this industry are so sales-focused that their customers stop feeling special and important after the sale. I’ve seen this happen so when I started Uptown, the idea was to work it backward. We know that referrals come from happy customers. So let’s always make our current customers top priority, and then we’ll see referrals come in from that. The girls don’t spend any time prospecting. They spend time working with their current clients and managing their accounts.
As the owner, what I’m most proud of is my team. They all have an unreal work ethic, and they truly care about their client’s success. I give them a lot of flexibility in terms of work schedule, time off, etc. My thing is that if you’re getting all your work done, you’re giving 110% to your clients, and those clients are happy, I really don’t care what else you do. When the right people feel empowered, the sky is the limit for the company.
What sets us apart from others is that we have experience in the industry that we’re doing marketing for. We can understand it from a different perspective than most marketing companies can. I also think we are a lot more fun to work with than the average company!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The way I describe my move from Rochester, NY to Dallas, TX is by using The Wizard of Oz. In the beginning, it’s all in black and white, very dreary and gray. Dorothy is just like, lost there. That was me in Rochester. Then when I got to Dallas, it was like when Dorothy gets to Oz. Everything is bright and lively and exciting! So I love Dallas because it’s my Oz! The weather is great, the energy is high, and the people are super friendly. If I had to pick one thing I like least about Dallas, it’s that there is no Wegmans!!! If you’re not familiar with Wegmans, look it up, but trust me it is really hard to live without a Wegmans.
Contact Info:
- Address: 17304 Preston Road Suite 810
- Website: www.uptownmarketing.com
- Phone: 585-857-0066
- Email: martina@uptownmarketing.com
- Instagram: @uptown_marketing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uptownmarketingllc/
Image Credit:
Monika Normand Photography, Phoenix Michele Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Sponsor Shoutout:
Love tea? Or looking for a way to get your caffeine fix in a tasty but less sugar-filled way? Jasmine Oliver’s Tea Please is an amazing solution.
Tea Please is a dessert flavored loose leaf tea company. It is a tea that is for those that are wanting to watch their sugar intake, yet still wanting to satisfy their sweet tooth. You know, because giving in to your cravings is self-care.
Check them out here: http://www.teapleasetea.com/ & on instagram: @TeaPleaseTea
