Sixth Man Marketing - Ed Reese

 

 

 

          Rake break: While club member Melody Farance continues on medical leave, President Lenore Romney asked for volunteers to rake Melody’s yard for springtime cleanup.  Several hands shot up and Lenore will schedule a Saturday morning work project in the next few weeks.

 

          Slam dunk!: Eric Johnson’s real estate firm, Coldwell Banker Tomlinson , will provide $2,000 to sponsor 10 Hoopfest teams – five from Glover Middle School and five from North Central.  Chris Lynch is working with principals at Glover and NC to select the teams.  Great job, Eric!

 

          Check (for $200) and mate: Eagle Peak will send three 8^th graders to the state chess tournament in Tacoma, thanks to a contribution from the club, approved by the board.  Melinda Keberle, club member and Eagle Peak principal, said the three students had never been on a plane before and two of them have never been to the Seattle area.  The money had been designated for suitable graduation wear for students in need, but clothing donations from other sources freed up the money for the chess team members.   The club watched a poignant thank-you video from the players, for whom, Melinda said, “the trip will be life-changing.”   EP faculty member Tim O’Halloran coaches some 70 chess players at the school, with help from the Spokane Chess Academy.  Eagle Peak, formerly the Bancroft School, houses students with behavioral issues.

 

 

          Since March Madness is in full swing, thoughts reverberate about the role and value of a team’s “sixth man.”

 

          But the topic at the club’s March 14 luncheon was Sixth Man Marketing, not basketball, as Ed Reese described how he uses on-line analytics and “search engine optimization” to improve internet marketing for businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

 

           Reese, a faculty member at LocalU and adjunct professor of digital marketing at GU, has provided computer commerce consultation for 10 years.

 

          He said he was selected for an ROTC scholarship to GU, but was disqualified by a basketball injury.

 

          “So I went to Spokane Falls (Community College) and went to every club seeking travel money,” Reese said.  After finding a home with the debate and speech club, he said, “I got over my shyness and qualified for nationals” (competition).

 

          Using Robbie Jackson’s Winston & Cashatt law firm and Steve Boharski’s Garland Animal Clinic as examples, Reese demonstrated how to analyze the effectiveness of marketing messages through Google Analytics and other search programs.

 

          With his firm, he said, “we don’t make web sites; we make them better.”

 

          He also showed how Cancer Care Northwest and Gamma Knife of Spokane improved their online presence by focusing on personalized messages which better addressed “the intent” of site users with the question “who are we selling to?”

 

          The Sixth Man client list of 24 also includes Washington Trust Bank, Avista, Northern Quest, GU and Whitworth University.

 

          His firm, which sold to J.E.B. Commerce in January, will now be able to focus on national and local clients, Reese said.  Sixth Man, with six staffers, moved its offices to Coeur d’Alene, where J.E. B., with about 30 staff members, is housed.

 

          Reese peppers his presentation with talk of “barnacle strategies,” “internet dork stuff,” and “secret-spy stuff.”   All are intended to help clients “be at the top of the search” when potential customers seek out solutions.     

 

          “You want to be found first,” Reese said.