by Corrine Casanova

You may not know much about OCG Creative, but you likely see their work every day. For those who aren’t familiar, OCG is a marketing agency that’s been working in Reno since the mid-90’s. As the digital revolution reshaped the marketplace, the company evolved. Today, OCG Creative is 18 strong, with experts in data science, commercial design, engineering, online media, marketing automation and, of course, web development.

On the surface, OCG’s line card reads predictably: web design & development, print, SEO, social media, PPC and so on. But, that doesn’t tell the story. Like any industry, there are degrees of expertise, and just as in business, technology is complicated. At the end of the day, business owners expect their marketing efforts to generate new business regardless of how an agency goes about it.

“Digital agencies tend to obfuscate tangible goals behind a fog of data and technical jargon. Business owners care about new leads and actual sales,” says OCG President, Joe Ross. “Clients don’t ask me to reduce bounce rates or increase conversions. They ask us to help grow their business,” adds Jill Rutherford, Vice President.

Joe Ross and Jill Rutherford lead the firm’s growth, but its success is the product of an exceptionally talented and dedicated staff. “When you hire OCG, you access a team of experts— from engineering to marketing. Many people are surprised at the depth and breadth of the services we offer. We can be an extension of your marketing department or be your entire marketing department,” explained Rutherford.

“Fewer than 20 percent of our clients come to us just to design a website. The vast majority hire us to handle most or all of their marketing efforts long term,” she added.

OCG Creative serves clients varying in size, spanning a range of industries. The company prides itself on providing value. “To get to know our clients, we take them through a discovery process where we examine their goals and assess the competitive landscape in their industry and market. From day one we work toward those goals,” said Ross.

Underscoring value, OCG Creative boasts a nearly 100% client retention rate. “Our philosophy is simple,” explains Rutherford, “to make the companies we work with, stronger, more stable and more profitable than when we started.”

According to Ross, there are fundamentals that should be considered mandatory in today’s complex competitive environment. “Most business deals, even simple e-commerce transactions, won’t happen until there’s a level of trust,” he says, “and bigger deals nearly always follow weeks or months of relationship-building.”

Ross was quick to point out, “CRM [client relationship management software] is so central to the growth of a company, we found a way to make it available to every client, without charging a single penny for licensing. I can’t emphasize enough how important that is.”

“It is just too easy to lose track,” says Rutherford. “Businesses miss out on deals because they struggle to manage opportunities. CRM ensures nothing is ever lost or forgotten.”

Ross and Rutherford agree that productivity is a key component of OCG Creative’s success. In 2017, OCG developed and published exactly 50 websites. “That’s an average of about one website per week. Speed itself isn’t that big a deal, but the quality we produce is shocking,” said

Ross. He adds, “Our actual development time is typically 30 to 45 days, but we have a lot of sites happening at once. It’s a little like a production line, yet our work is entirely custom. Our portfolio speaks for itself.”

The company emphasizes that the short development cycle keeps the team focused on marketing and promotion. Rutherford points out, “great website design should be expected. Success comes from how we drive potential customers to a given website. The sooner we can go about that, the better.”

Much of OCG’s business comes through referral, however, the company also spends a significant amount of time reaching out through conferences and trade shows. “We like to target industries we have an interest in, and it helps us expand our reach beyond Nevada.” Ross said. Two of those industries include recreational scuba diving and musical instruments. “It’s a dream job,” according to Rutherford. “This year we’ve had the opportunity to work as far away as Honduras. We recently returned from Nashville and will be taking part of our team to Vancouver B.C. in just a few weeks,” she added.

“We are freakish about statistics and probability. Naturally, we leverage the same technologies to promote ourselves that we use to promote our clients. Accordingly, our website produces a steady stream of inbound leads. We can’t imagine doing business without that, yet a lot of companies do,” said Ross.

OCG understands that for some clients, web and internet marketing can be daunting. To alleviate that, the company puts a great deal of effort into educating business owners about the digital landscape. Staff is always available to help sort out technical issues and identify opportunities that might be hidden in a sea of data. Even if you aren’t an OCG client, you are invited to take part in OCG’s complimentary 50-minute workshops. The next workshop is “Eleven Steps to Market Like a Pro.” Space is limited to 12 registrants. Call 775-324-1644, or visit ocgcrea4ve.com/11 to register.