Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Latham.
Brooke, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I always knew that communication was one of my greatest strengths, but I didn’t want to communicate just any message. I wanted to talk about art. I knew I wasn’t going to be some big shot artist myself but saw that I was effective at promoting the work of artists whom I believed in. When I left the gallery, I asked myself which aspects of my job I did enjoy and found that the answer was digital marketing. I liked working on the website, posting on social media, pitching to the press, anything to do with spreading the word about the gallery’s efforts to showcase meaningful artwork. And I realized that most small businesses were delegating this crucial responsibility to their internal staff. They just tack this on to their assistant’s to-do list and hope for the best. And, as a result, they don’t get the most out of their digital marketing efforts, because their assistants aren’t informed as to the best practices for those complex processes. “That’s my window of opportunity,” I thought. If I could get a business owner to see the results a solid digital marketing strategy can generate, I could prove that with a little help from an experienced digital marketer, they could get a lot more exposure, and therefore sales.
And so Social Canvas was born! As soon as I was able to, I brought my lifelong friend, Ashlyn Allison, on board. We’ve known each other since our moms were pregnant living next door to one another, and we’ve always been great collaborators. (See baby pics included for a throwback to me and Ash as kids!) Another good friend of ours, Riley Deaver, has joined the Social Canvas team as our graphic designer. We’re now a team of eight, most of whom I have known for many years, so it’s really exciting to all come together to build a business we love.
From the beginning, all of our clients have found us by word of mouth. We have developed really strong, meaningful relationships with all of our clients, and they’ve all been kind enough to spread the word! And with the onset of the pandemic, we were getting more requests than ever, as many businesses needed to quickly strengthen their online presence. It’s been an incredibly rewarding and fun process so far, but this is only the beginning! We’ve been in business for about a year and a half, and the growth we’ve achieved in that time is something we’re incredibly proud of.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Each stage of my journey has presented its own set of challenges. In the beginning, I had to overcome the problem of finding my direction. Then, I had to figure out how to execute it. But whether it was registering a business, finding new clients, or bringing my team together, I knew from my past endeavors that if I set my mind to it, I could accomplish anything. I’ve still got a long way to go, and I’m sure I will face many more obstacles along the way, but I believe that with determination and a strong network, I will continue to scale my business towards higher and higher achievements.
We’d love to hear more about Social Canvas.
At Social Canvas, we focus on helping creative brands utilize their digital presence to grow their business. We’re all about sharing powerful messages and have found plenty of inspiration to draw from while working with our clients.
I’d say our specialty lies in the deep relationships we have with our clients. We really take the time to understand their story, their goals, what they stand for, and are then able to craft compelling content and strategies to share their message. Whereas many digital marketing companies use cookie-cutter strategies and generic content templates to “plug-and-play,” we assess the best approach for each client’s goals. We focus on telling their story with both language and visuals, which together paint a cohesive representation of that brand that will draw the attention of their target audience. Then, we use creative approaches to get that message in front of the right audience. We’re growing quite quickly and have big plans for the future!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’ve had so many incredible cheerleaders and mentors. One of my first clients, Benjamin Wiener, who runs a ceramic design gallery in New York, really encouraged me to make the jump from freelancer to thinking like a business owner. He has always been both a friend and a client and helped me identify that I have a strength in developing deep relationships with my clients and therefore being able to help them beyond their expectations.
A mentor of mine, Shannon Powers, runs her own digital marketing agency, Powers Communication. She really took me under her wing, giving me projects and showing me how she runs her business. She played a huge role in shaping my vision for my business.
What were you like growing up? Personality wise, interest wise, etc.
I’ve always been a jack of all trades. I was a very active kid. I tried my hand at nearly every sport: barrel racing, ballet, crew, you name it. I was also super eager to learn and to connect with people. I didn’t really feel like I fit in growing up in Dallas, and found that art provided another avenue to express the aspects of myself for which there were no words to describe. I think in all of my pursuits, even from childhood, my overarching goal was to find a way to communicate–to be understood. That’s probably why I feel so fulfilled working in digital marketing because, really, it’s a platform for people to understand one another.
Contact Info:
- Website: socialcanvasny.com
- Phone: 9728226367
- Email: brooke@socialcanvasny.com
- Instagram: @socialcanvasco
- Facebook: @socialcanvasco
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/37386565
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