TKG Celebrates 25 Years of Putting People First
It’s hard to believe that back in the late ‘90s when we started our little “web design” business, we had to explain to most people what the internet was and why it mattered. We were literally selling websites out of a portfolio in a 3-ring binder because most executives didn’t have internet access at their desks.
Fast forward 25 years: Most of those same people we were explaining “web pages” to back then use the web hundreds of times throughout their day without even realizing it.
Our Path Toward Becoming an Experienced Digital Marketing Agency
It has certainly been an interesting journey to become one of the best digital marketing agencies in Northeast Ohio. Some years have meant exciting growth and profitability because we were on the cutting edge—while others have been a true struggle for survival. All of it has made us better and blessed us with opportunity. I remain grateful that through all of the ups and downs, many self-inflicted, we have never had to lay off a single person. Somehow, we’ve been afforded the resources we needed—even if it was at the last minute a few times.
It’s difficult to express our level of gratitude for the many people and organizations that have helped us. From local banks and chambers of commerce, to partners like 415 Group who have steered us, we’ve had dozens of exceptional friends in our corner for a long time. As with any business, it’s about the people both internally and externally that impact us and help us grow. That includes our current team as well as those who have moved on to bigger and better things. Every one of those individuals has had an impact on our direction, and for that I am eternally grateful to each and every one of them.
People-First Mentality with Real Results
As I look back over TKG’s 25 years, two things have remained constant from day one. A people-first mentality and a focus on real results for our clients. While both of those may sound cliché, they have truly become a reality that has allowed this experienced digital marketing agency to thrive.
Caring about our team and their families is one of the core values we work very hard to live up to. From maintaining our annual family camping trip to doing everything within our means to protect our team through a pandemic, we remain focused on our people.
As for real results, I still remember debating with other SEO pioneers at “Search Engine Strategies” conferences in the early days about whether leads and sales generated belonged in an SEO strategy. In today’s world, those things are assumed. But if you go way back, I think you’d find that we are one of the few SEO companies that can show you ROI reports focused on sales and lead generation from that era.
For laughs, check out this “SEO Report” from 2002:
How TKG Became a Full-Service Digital Marketing Agency
Like any business, our team and services have evolved over the years. Our intent in the ‘90s was to bring a professional level of customer service, high-end design and real programming to the web design industry. Those things were lacking in the web design space by the sheer reality that it was a startup industry.
Now, while we still honor those roots, we’ve become a digital-first full-service marketing agency. We offer services like branding, video production and trade show support. Never did I imagine that would be the case, but because the web is where most people first experience a brand, we had to develop those skills.
Similarly, we have recently expanded into the IT space. Ironically enough, our clients have assumed we offered IT services because we’ve supported their websites and email for decades. In reality, providing those services is new to us. There is a great intersection between our development capabilities and our IT team that creates an immense opportunity for us to help companies become more productive. We are finally leveraging those opportunities on behalf of our clients.
Looking forward, we feel fortunate to be positioned for growth. Our team has grown from one employee 25 years ago to a digital marketing team of almost 50 today. The relationships, experience and talent on our team are immense. I am excited to see what that brings in the next 25 years.
If you want to learn more about The Karcher Group, reach out to start a conversation with our fantastic team. We’d love to share more about how we got here.
