Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Barrera, MSM.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like many Miamians and Americans overall, my professional life was greatly affected during the Covid Pandemic as my previous employer went out of business. It was a challenging time but not one without opportunity, as the unfortunate event gave me the push I needed to establish my own business. From a professional standpoint, I began working at my former employer in the early 2000’s. I started at an entry level position but quickly climbed the corporate ranks. In the end, I had amassed 17+ years of success generating new revenue streams through the development of B2B and B2C Digital Marketing and Customer Success initiatives as a Brand Growth Executive. Our B2B structure gave me the opportunity to see the inner workings of several large global companies. This tremendously helped me gain high-impact expertise in creating brand awareness engagement, audience reach, and customer loyalty through the development of service programs and target communications.
Academically, I felt I still had room to grow and began my journey to obtain a Master’s of Science in Marketing from FIU and a Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School. I thankfully was able to accomplish these goals in 2020. Between real-life and educational experience, I founded Succession Marketing with the sole purpose of helping empower businesses to dominate their market through digital strategies. In July 2020, I had my first customer and have since then, had a steady influx of new clients to compliment my portfolio on a monthly basis. As a Hispanic female entrepreneur, I love the positive impact our services are having with our diverse clientele. It is a privilege to contribute to the success of so many hardworking individuals striving to earn their own financial independence, especially those who feel they have hit a wall, with no clear way to advance their business to its full potential. As I have grown, it has allowed me to bring in a partner to propel Succession Marketing to the next level with Rolando Ongay.
He has 16+ years of Strategic Planning, Quality Control, Customer Service, Claims Processes, P&L Analysis, Client, Vendor, and Operational Management experience. His addition has ensured that our quality and commitment to our clients’ success is unaffected by our growth, meaning our 50 clients will get the same dedication as our first. He also adds a consultation aspect to our services, offering to assist our clients should they be struggling with efficiencies, customer expectations, and/or profitability. Combined, we have more than 33 years of business experience, making us a stellar solution for anyone looking to grow/improve their business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Usually, nothing worthwhile is ever a smooth road. Starting a business always has its challenges. Successful business owners did not get there by being careless with their money and Succession Marketing being the new kid on the block, meant they were taking some kind of risk with an unproven company. Pile on a global pandemic and now you are trying to sell marketing services to clients who are worried about essentials such as making payroll or even keeping the lights on. Thankfully, there were some businesses that recognized how marketing can assist their situation now more than ever. A lot of companies throw the word partnership around but Succession Marketing’s foundation is built completely around that notion. Our first batch of clients admittedly took a gamble on us, but their success meant we succeeded and in doing so, we were all able to keep the lights on.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The name Succession comes from the right of a person to succeed. Add marketing, and it is something that will be achieved when partnering with us. Succession Marketing can help build you a proper digital strategy that integrates your website, social media, online advertising, and other digital marketing functions to maximize your online presence. With our hands-on approach, we will work together to ensure that your objective is clear and that we are building a digital strategy that successfully achieves your company’s goals. We tackle each phase of your digital strategy with the proper marketing fundamentals and, most importantly, execute that strategy using the latest methods and tools. Our book of services are: Digital Strategy: for your company to max out its potential, increase its brand awareness, and solidify its position as an industry leader, you will need a well-crafted digital strategy that aligns your business goals with an executable plan. Rebranding: We will tackle the crucial components that make a rebrand successful, including your business’s location, marketing reposition, business philosophy, visual identity, online presence, and much more. We will redefine your company’s vision, mission, and values and use these to create a framework for your successful rebrand. Website Design: We will ensure that you have the most important elements of a quality website, including proper navigation, a responsive design, great visuals and copy, and much more. Succession Marketing is focused on creating a website design that compliments your brand and generates more customers for you. Social Media: We will create a specific plan for you that is based on your social media goals and aligns with your business’s objective.
A significant component of social media is understanding your audience, and we will do that by gathering the proper data, creating audience personas, and much more. We will also outline how you can improve your current social media to attract a bigger audience and keep them engaged. Paid Advertising: Growing your company both organically and with the powerful paid advertising features of platforms like Facebook, Google, Instagram, and more. We utilize these advertising platforms to put you directly in front of your target audience and urge them to take actions that meet your marketing goals. SEO Strategy: We will work together to plan, outline, and implement the necessary steps for improving your search engine rankings. The ultimate result is that you will have an influx of quality, organic traffic to your website. Through your SEO strategy, we will identify the proper keywords, website design, content, performance measurements, and more to ensure a successful strategy. Product Research: We will conduct the proper product research necessary to create an in-demand and scalable product. Our research identifies your product’s marketing abilities, trends, and overall significance to determine its ultimate success.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
There were a number of other opportunities of income that presented themselves but none would provide the financial independence that Succession Marketing would bring about. After the untimely end of my previous employer, I made myself a commitment that I would never place my financial stability on the decision making of others. While that helped justify my decision to continue focusing on Succession Marketing, it was nonetheless a risk to leave money on the table for what COULD turn out to be a better quality of life. Additionally, since this all happened in the middle of the pandemic, I had to make the decision to invest in Succession Marketing at a time where the responsible thing to do was save money for an uncertain future. This was likely the biggest risk but I was confident in my abilities to help other businesses and strongly believed that my early results would provide the confidence needed for other companies to trust us with the success of their business.
Contact Info:
- Email: Ana@SuccessionMarketing.com
- Website: www.SuccessionMarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/successionmarketing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuccessionMarketing
Image Credits
Brandon Freeman, Ixamar Palumbo
