Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Rodriguez
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?
Get Local Social is an emerging social media team that’s truly unique in the way we’ve created our service model. We work closely with local college students in marketing and media to help inspire the next generation of marketing professionals, which in-turn allow us to financially support offering services that are truly affordable in comparison to traditional agencies.
I am a current practicing Fractional CMO, and felt deeply compelled to create a team that makes an impact on the small businesses that are priced out of receiving marketing help. My overarching mission is to empower local brands by amplifying their voice online, and facilitate wider awareness of their companies through our services.
We’re currently positioned to grow in the Austin market because we uniquely serve the thousands of small businesses that cannot afford a full service agency, but desperately need to reduce their marketing overwhelm. We’re so grateful to work with locals here, and look forward to serving additional locations once our Austin team is fully established.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been an amazing journey, and such a reward to serve our local businesses. From small shops, to entertainment services, personal services, and local creators we’ve been awarded the opportunity to meet truly unique people that care about what they do. These small businesses have poured every ounce of their skills and abilities into their brand, which means they often lack the time or capacity to share what they do online adequately enough to provide awareness of their efforts.
In my opinion this is a missed opportunity for them to really thrive, and we’re not satisfied here unless we’re helping small businesses and nonprofits reach a new level of awareness for their brands. It’s such a fulfilling experience for us.
The biggest struggles have been a lack of response from local institutions to help us connect with student interns. We’ve been fortunate enough to fill a small team of enthusiastic marketing students, but we would love and welcome the opportunity to exclusively partner with their programs to give more students an opportunity for hands-on learning and real-world experience. Working with interns is the other half of our mission, we want to do more than just empower small brands, we also want to empower the next generation of marketers by showing them the value of supporting local like we do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My career has been colorful to say the least. I spent most of my career in and out of contracting via freelance working opportunities alongside agencies. I’ve worked in a handful of agencies, led marketing campaigns for tech startups, celebrity launches, and nationally recognized brands. I have had a direct hand in managing marketing operations, and witnessing closely the impact of mental fatigue and creative burnout in the marketing industry.
I had a short pause in my career when I joined the military as an active duty soldier, my job at this time was a combat medic. This time in my career I worked in an environment that was considered high-stress and learned what it was like to navigate situations that were crucial to inspiring my current passion in marketing and psychology. I love learning about the impacts of marketing, how we can do better as a business industry, and how our current business models impact our greater society.
It’s truly fascinating to be able to see the patterns in organizational communication on a small scale, and also seeing these same patterns play out on a larger national and global scale. This is why with Get Local Social I have moved away from serving large brands and corporations to focus my expertise on small businesses who impact our community, but are often unable to afford the necessary marketing teams to amplify their voice. I want to see these brands win, period.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Have faith in yourself. A big struggle with brands launching is that we embark on a rollercoaster of emotions. I have been fortunate enough to play in entrepreneurship since the age of 19, and Get Local Social is the 6th of my own startups. I have quite literally experienced every upset, success, and everything in between. I want creators of their own offerings to be empowered in their journey and know that you’re inspired to create something for a reason. Whether you want financial freedom, or you simply want to share the love of your expertise with your community – don’t doubt your ability or calling to make big waves in the pond of life.
There’s no wrong answer here because everything along the way becomes a lesson, an inspiration, or a success. We continuously learn, evolve, create, and play – don’t forget that in whatever you do, lean into the joy that sparked your inspiration in the first place.
Pricing:
- Standard Social Media $1500
- Advanced Social Media $1800
Contact Info:
- Website: https://getlocalsocial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atx_socialmedia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atxgetlocalsocial/
Image Credits
Credit: Get Local Social
Images taken during TFP media session with Austin Rental Boats
