Jason Hunt, Co-Founder and CMO of Merged Media, is a dynamic leader who is steering his firm to greater heights with his pragmatic leadership. Jason, widely regarded as the finest in the industry, is known for his exceptional thinking and goes above and above to provide huge value to his clients. Through his commitment to changing the way social media is used, Jason has revolutionised the way business is done.
Jason’s journey to the top of the digital marketing industry has been unique, so we spoke with him to learn about his successes, challenges, and plans to maintain the market lead. Below are the highlights.
Aspioneer (A): Could you tell us a bit about your company and how you help other organizations?
Jason Hunt (J): “My company is Merged Media. Merged is a combination of two agencies merging in 2019. That being a social media agency servicing small to medium-sized businesses across the world and an SEO company, that allows us the opportunity to be subject matter experts in the creative and technical side of digital marketing. It is a combination of creative and technical digital marketers that helps our clients as a one-stop digital shop. We have our clients focus on one thing, which allows us to manage the marketing side of their business. We help business owners and marketers as their execution link to getting tasks done with a company’s digital marketing. For example, our writers will write SEO-optimized content for blogs and we’ll ensure that the Meta pixel is working and firing correctly so we can set up retargeting to ensure our clients are staying top of mind with their prospects. We operate out of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.”
"It's been amazing to see this company grow and as owners of the company, we take pride in seeing the growth knowing we are the engine behind the scenes that is generating the leads on an ongoing basis."
(A): How did it all start? Can you give us a gist of your journey?
(J): “In 2007, I was the frontman of a rock and roll band in Japan. We were a pretty good band, but I was not a very good singer. Despite my lacklustre singing ability, I was able to take our band on a little tour of Japan and get us constant gigs at some of the local venues. I give full credit to my ability to market our brand. It was through this experience that I realized marketing was my calling.
In 2016, I was on the streets, knocking on doors to try and drum up any business I could. I was selling social media management. In the beginning, I was doing just about every aspect of the business, from content creation to account management and selling. Doing a little bit of every role in the business allowed me to find the right team to grow our business and take it to the next level.”
(A): So, after the establishment of Merged Media, what did you primarily focus on? How did that help?
(J): “It all began with social media management, which is still our bread and butter today. But over time, we became more interested in the results we could achieve through our efforts. This is where we educated ourselves on the paid ad side and built two new departments. One for Social Paid and a second for Google Ads. We have continuously been evolving our business through understanding the needs of our clients. This is an industry that always keeps us on our toes.
Thanks to social media, we receive countless leads daily for ourselves and our clients. I like to think of it as a tap, and whenever we want more leads, we just turn on the tap and the leads come in. I’ve realized that there is an abundance of business out there if you position yourself with the right offer.”
(A): How do you unwind? Which is your favourite activity which you truly enjoy?
(J): “I’ve got 3 kids, a wife, and a dog, so when I’m not discussing digital marketing programs with our clients, I’m spending time keeping active by taking jobs with my dog, coaching rugby, and getting out of the house as much as possible.
I enjoy podcasting, and speaking with industry experts is one of my favorites. I get to talk to guests in certain industries across the world. This has been such a great resource for me to understand what’s happening and to keep up to date with the happenings. I encourage my audience to learn with me. Check out The Merged Marketing Podcast on your go-to podcast channel.”
(A): How has the pandemic changed the way you work? What is your modus operandi to grow your brand?
(J): “Since the pandemic, our company has moved offices to a much smaller location. Our employees can now work from home full time, which they appreciate. Each month we get together for one day, where each employee presents a recap of their desk and we collectively discuss company initiatives. We also take this opportunity to head to a local restaurant for a team lunch and beverages, which is always a great way for us to catch up away from the desk.
We are beginning to build even deeper relationships with existing clients. Working with our clients on monthly fees is great but with some clients, we are expanding to owning equity in companies rather than the monthly fee. In one particular case, we became partners in a landscaping company that is now franchising. It’s been amazing to see this company grow and as owners of the company, we take pride in seeing the growth knowing we are the engine behind the scenes that is generating the leads on an ongoing basis.
