Meet Shelby Friedman | CEO of Silver Swann Marketing

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shelby Friedman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelby, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I worked for 5 different Marketing agencies before deciding to open up my own, and the reasoning was simple: I saw all 5 of these past employers fail to create a transparent customer experience that kept their clients happy. As an agency scales and grows, personalization and transparency lose their footing, making way for standardization and sanitization in an attempt to retain clients. I couldn’t stand the templated Powerpoints and the overload of information without context. It was always made specifically to confuse the clients into thinking they needed us. My personal integrity felt conflicted, so I vowed to create an Agency that thrived on Transparency. I focus on teaching a client true KPIs and relevant Marketing knowledge, so my clients would feel empowered, rather than helpless.

Agencies usually have a specific process they adhere to, but client issues are never so simple. One strategy does not fit all, so I created a proprietary client Audit to start my onboarding process. I custom tailor my strategy to integrate with my client’s current marketing efforts. This leads my contracts to range from simple media buying, to a full Fractional CMO service to build Marketing Departments from the ground up.

What should our readers know about your business?
Silver Swann Marketing is a company that is forthright in all regards. We pride ourselves in transparency, and focus on a custom-tailored marketing strategy to meet business’s needs. I am most proud of our onboarding process, as we take a deep dive into all of the finances and operating costs of a business to ensure profitability with our services. The omni-channel approach we take to marketing allows us to provide insights not ONLY on the marketing side of a business, but also on what a client’s MER (Marketing efficiency ratio) is, what KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) we should focus on for maximum success, and what the 80/20 is of their current efforts. That is, the biggest impact we can make in the shortest period of time. I’ve had multiple clients inform me that they were completely unaware of these statistics beforehand, which then allowed them to make wiser decisions on where to invest moving forward. We advise on a client’s software stack, their overhead and employee bandwidth, and even their inventory and profitability on COGS, (Cost of Goods Sold).

This was not an easy thing to accomplish. This agency was birthed as a solution to a huge problem in marketing – the silo’s in which marketers existed did not allow for a full picture of the success of the company. I noticed this many times – advertisers would be marketing a product that was out of stock, and this would lead to an increased marketing costs. Or advertisers would mistake their CTA (Call to Action) as being live on the site, when there was a glaring 404 ERROR page on the client’s website. By auditing every step of the customer journey, I was able to create a bigger picture for my clients’ marketing efforts, and this lead to an overall increase in trust and client success. Because other agencies I worked at were missing this piece of their strategy, I needed to implement these changes myself to go above and beyond for my clients. This was self taught, as I spent quite a bit of time learning beyond what my employers required. Once I saw the pattern, I created my Omni-Channel strategy from scratch to fill a void I was seeing in my industry.

What I want people to know about my agency is simple – We work for you, and we will never stick around if you do not need us anymore. The goal is not to force companies to work with an agency forever, but rather – to build out a fully functioning (and more cost effective, automated) Marketing strategy that could help business stand on their own two feet, effectively reducing their dependency on marketing agencies.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For those visiting Atlanta, you need to know, our Botanical Gardens are absolutely beautiful! I go there often to think through high-level issues.

If you’re coming for a week, please check out our Aquarium, (The whale sharks make you feel small), the High Museum (creativity, raw talent, and social justice meld for thought-provoking inspiration) and our Botanical Gardens to find the deepest sense of purpose and awe-inspiring revelations.

You cannot miss out on Atlantic station, they have pop up shops every Saturday to encourage local artists to showcase their work!

For food, I suggest the newly designed The Works Food Hall, Ponce City Market, and The West Side & Interlock area. These places intertwine culture and design for a plethora of food options in walking distance from one another. Truly a unique experience!

When searching for exciting and interesting people, you’ll have to delve deep into our Speakeasy and hidden bar scene to see where they reside! My favorite is the Red Phone Booth, as celebrities and titans of industry will intermingle to have some of the most interesting conversations you’ve ever been a part of!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to all of the Agencies that have hired me in the past. I did not major in Marketing, nor did I study it before entering the industry. I started at Lyfe Marketing as an Entry-Level Copywriter, and moved swiftly through the ranks as my interest in Marketing became a passion. Thanks to the opportunities I was given through these agencies, I was able to transition from a broad marketing understanding, to a niche expertise, back out to a well-rounded marketer that could solve a myriad of issues for potential clients. Without the help of Lyfe Marketing, Shopanova, Crisp Video Group, and Contractor Independence Marketing, I wouldn’t be able to have such a plethora of knowledge to better support my clients.

Website: SilverSwann.com

Instagram: @shelby.silverswann

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-friedman-29447679/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelby.friedman.7

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shelbypaige/videos

Other: Here’s my Spotify to my Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zrYXnJ9U3pb1t0gvuiZAI

Image Credits
Ty Colgate – Digital Editor for The Marketing Solution Podcast