Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Magnus.
Dana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story began as a unique little kid who hoarded images and memories since the age of 10, camera in hand. The personal stories told by my friends and relatives were fascinating & I wanted to journal it all- a daily entry was written & photographed for about 3 years. I accurately use the word “hoarding” in juxtaposition to what I have become today.
Living life as a teenager, I recorded life whereabouts such as going to the grocery store, hanging out on my bike, taking photos of flowers in my yard and truly thought, “this somehow will be valuable for a future someone”, as I have yet to find the reason or the person why. Seeing as our culture and behaviors are shifting rapidly, maybe those testaments of my life in the early 2000’s would be archaic and captivating.
I knew that I always wanted to work in a creative role when I “grew up”. From interior design to photography, I always looked to a way that I could work with others while creating visually appealing narratives & testaments to other’s personalities & journeys.
I am the owner of a successful business in two states (IL & CA) with over a decade of the wedding, family, and portrait photography adventure. I’ve traveled the world as a destination wedding photographer. This role has been so incredibly rewarding taking me through some of the most incredible journeys of my life, including witnessing the love and stories of the best people in the world- my clients. However, there is something more than I felt was needed out of my own two hands to help this world become a better place.
Beyond photography, formal education in advertising had me thinking I was to become an Advertising STAR- from a commercial photographer to a CD (creative director). Before Don Draper made his appearance, I was always enthralled by the industry and how much it controlled the psychology of our society, especially observing the amount of waste & harm done to our planet because of the volume of “stuff” we demand to own in our lives.
With a passion to live a zero waste lifestyle, simplicity and using what “has been” has really pushed me to create “The MKTG Brand” branding agency this year. I want to use my abilities toward storytelling and visual narrative to help the world slow down and appreciate what they have instead of feel this urge to always need more and more.
With the approach I take toward simply exposing the solutions my business owner clients have created for the world, more problems may be solved by connecting those who NEED what they offer while simultaneously to stopping this helpless cycle of “want” that never seems to satisfy anyone and shifting the social fabric toward many more psychological issues.
Great, 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?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned working with the marketing and advertising industry is that people only buy from people and humans like to connect with other humans. Whether it’s taking a recommendation on YELP or looking at an Instagram geotag to find out the best spots to “brunch” on the weekend, we are always looking to be influenced by others around us and validate our buying decisions.
Since launching the MKTG brand earlier this summer, I’ve seen a really big need for clients to define their branding and their “why” as a priority that may have never been there before. With this shift in consumer behavior being that much more connected with social media, it means so much more for the success of a brand when consumers can associate a face and a name to the products or services they are buying. Understanding the moral and what the CEO of the company is like as a human being on this planet seems to be more of a captivating piece of research to consider rather than a list of benefits or features.
With the rise of social media behavior, our power to connect and relate to as many people who find us worth following or observing is astonishing. We have all the control in the world to become captivating to someone on another end and solve more problems to serve as many people as our abilities can. What better time than now to capture our big “why” with visually appealing assets such as branded photos and videos to share with others.
Please tell us about The MKTG Brand.
The MKTG Brand is a full-service branding agency creating both strategy and implementation for the business owner who is looking to connect their product or services to people in the world who need it most.
Simply put- my clients go on a permanent vacation from ever needing to think “marketing” in their day to day tasks and buy back more time and energy to put toward their business. My team does all the heavy lifting and brain twisting to get you to where you need to be in your client’s minds.
Having a strong brand presence helps you to share with the public your big message and I hope to attract your target audience to each of my clients by luring them into your story above all else. The MKTG Brand offers branded photography sessions, documentary – style videography, strong visual graphic design, and ongoing maintenance to keep your brand living vibrantly in your follower’s feeds each day with a strong online presence.
We are more than just a logo-making, business card printing relationship for you. If you keep the creative & messaging aspects of your brand and marketing focused on a human to human element, you will see a much more positive results.
Doing so helps to eliminate confusion and ultimately allows you to work more efficiently on bringing in leads that save you both money and time. Advertising can be expensive when you aren’t being strategic with who exactly you are searching for, what you are coming across as when you try to describe your business and the perception others (and sometimes yourself) may have on the way you are delivering outbound communications.
When you have a strong brand image and a clearly defined message, you are only attracting those buyers who need your services which makes your lead generating process much more efficient, less expensive to you, and ultimately bringing you greater satisfaction on your conversions and stronger client relationships.
I’m known for working with environmentally conscious businesses and with entrepreneurs that have such an incredibly unique service offering that others simply don’t know about.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Definitely getting Lisa Frank stickers and gel pens (oh yea- the 200 pack from Sam’s Club) for Christmas. Can I admit that I still have a box of stickers and gel pens that I refuse to use yet that are stocked away in my parent’s basement?
Pricing:
- Zipline – ($2,500/ month) The ULTIMATE hand’s off experience to get you to a lonely island to lead land as quickly with the most fun as possible.
- Bridge – ($750/ month) Allowing you to move at your own pace with my guidance and direction, taking you from no one to known in just 6 months with a strong online presence. * My most popular package
Contact Info:
- Address: 1767 S Redwood Street
- Website: http://mktgbrand.com
- Phone: 630-297-1691
- Email: dana@mktgbrand.com
- Instagram: @thedanamagnus
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/themktgbrand
Image Credit:
Hiraeth Diaries | https://www.hiraethdiaries.com/
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