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Young
Guns
“We have a true opportunity
to compete with anyone
and bring in business from
anywhere in the world.”
Justin Seibert
In order to be successful, sometimes one
has to take a leap of faith. Justin Seibert did
just that when he moved from California
back to the Mountain State 10 years ago
to start his own business, Direct Online
Marketing.
For Seibert, growing into the role of
business owner has not been without obstacles. “The challenges have changed
from executing client work as a primary
responsibility to taking a true leadership
role,” he says. “Currently, we’re focused
on large-scale, sustainable growth. This requires developing and communicating the
company’s vision, aligning employees’ professional growth goals with the company’s
and holding everyone, especially myself,
accountable for achieving these goals.”
Due, in part, to his success with Direct
Online Marketing, Seibert was named a
member of the Young Guns Class of 2012,
and since then, he has added a number of
accomplishments to his resume. He was
named the U.S. Small Business Administration West Virginia District Office’s
2015 Entrepreneurial Success of the Year,
became a graduate of the Goldman Sachs
10,000 Small Businesses program and was
listed as one of the Top 25 Most Influential PPC Experts by Hanapin Marketing
for three consecutive years.
Seibert has been involved in digital marketing since 2001. He has witnessed firsthand the evolution of search engine optimization (SEO) and online marketing
during his career, and he is a firm believer
that businesses of all sizes can benefit from
SEO marketing. “For businesses that use
it well, the impact is undeniable,” he says.
“Large companies and small businesses
alike can measure the results, which may
be the biggest draw of all. By appearing
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on the right searches, businesses can reach
people when their interest is highest. That’s
why businesses will spend $65 billion on
SEO alone this year and even more on paid
search. It is the great equalizer since small
businesses compete every day with Fortune
500 companies on Google.”
According to Seibert, ROI-driven companies use search engine marketing (SEM)
as the centerpiece of their digital marketing strategies with either search engine
advertising or SEO or both. In February
2015, he led the charge in ramping up the
conversation about SEM among West Virginia organizations by bringing Google to
the Mountain State. Seibert organized the
Digital Breakfast event in Morgantown,
which was geared toward helping companies improve their online visibility and included networking, roundtable discussions
and an appearance by Michael Hose, an
official Google representative. This event
was a huge step toward positioning West
Virginia ahead of the curve in technology.
“Traditionally, West Virginia businesses
haven’t exactly been at the forefront of technology,” says Seibert. “Digital marketing,
specifically Google, allows organizations
to find new clients easier than ever before.
This type of marketing can help businesses
sell locally, but where I really get excited is
when they use it to reach new clients outside the state and even outside the country. Those dollars not only increase profits
but also fuel job growth and investment
in our state.”
The outcome of the Digital Breakfast
event was a positive one for both the state
of West Virginia and Direct Online Marketing. “Attendees from several dozen
different industries took specific actions
right away to immediately begin improving their digital presence and growing their
businesses,” says Seibert. “Plus, through
the media coverage, organizations who
had never even considered SEM became
aware of how it can transform their acquisition strategies. The event also increased
awareness of our agency within our state.
With clients from all over the world, we
haven’t done much in-state promotion.
As the state’s oldest and largest digital
agency, we do want to be a business’ first
call when they want to drive more business online.”
With the Mountain State’s economy
standing at a crossroads, Seibert believes
technology holds great possibility for West
Virginia’s future if business owners are
willing to embrace it. “New players utilize
technology to disrupt industries the world
over. Just look at what Uber and Lyft are
doing to taxis,” he says. “The job market
in 20 years will be virtually unrecognizable compared to today. We have a true
opportunity to compete with anyone and
bring in business from anywhere in the
world. The question is whether we will
be at the forefront of this technological
revolution. Many West Virginia businesses are doing that now. We just need more
entrepreneurs and businesses to take the
leap and a regulatory environment that
allows businesses to succeed—and fail—
on their own.”
Maggie Matsko
Don Feenerty