Matukka Marketing Business Spotlight

What started as a cold-weather pastime turned into an avid love for all things digital for Chris Tietgens, founder/owner of Matukka Marketing.

In the 90s, Tietgens worked construction, making his way from laborer to company foreman and eventually launching his own small trucking company within the construction industry. But one thing that industry lacks is winter work.

During the downtime, Tietgens began exploring the internet and teaching himself online strategy. “I made my first $5 online in 1997 and have been a digital marketer since,” he says.

Until 2010, his marketing gig remained part-time and took hold primarily during the winter. But “with a buy-out offer for my trucking company in 2010, I moved from full-time trucking to full-time digital marketing,” he explains.

Through the years he’s built websites that cover it all, from small businesses to enterprise companies. He launched a pet care brand with privately-labeled products and also sells physical products through his own websites and marketplace sites like eBay, Bonanza and Gun Auction.

“Feeding these sites with traffic is done with a mix of learned skills in SEO and paid ads,” he describes. Doing it for himself has taught him what works and how to maximize the results.

In 2018, he really shifted his focus to collaboration with local businesses, helping them make sense of the internet and how to use it for profit. For small businesses with history (especially in brick-and-mortar sales), it can be difficult for them to shift their thinking online.

But Tietgens simplifies the process, demonstrating how a blend of proven strategies and the right technology can help a business establish online presence and achieve business growth at the same time.

For instance, by tracking comparisons, he’s found that while some businesses see good luck with social media, using text and email to speak to customers typically demonstrates a stronger return.

“We can show the local business owner how digital marketing is an investment with a 15% higher return compared to just buying advertising and hoping you’re not wasting your money,” Tietgens notes.

While the Covid-19 crisis has thrown the business world into a continuous tumble, Tietgens sees digital presence and marketing as more critical than ever.

“Lockdown has had a major impact locally. Businesses are opening and closing every day with new restrictions and operating procedures being implemented,” he describes. That back-and-forth (which will likely continue) has left many business owners unsure of the most effective way to proceed.

But Tietgens has noticed a trend. While some hunker down to see how it all shakes out, savvy owners are doubling down on marketing and reaching out to a whole new audience. “Local businesses realized they need a way to communicate with their customers. When people are staying at home, how do you get them to place an order with you?” Tietgens asks.

It requires some innovation, which is exactly what he had in mind when he built a brand-new website to help the businesses that are choosing to open (in whatever creative capacity). Matukka Marketing is now sponsoring a local, crisis-specific directory for Keene, NH and the surrounding area.

The site showcases businesses that are open and outlines the services they are offering via free website listings and promotions. “For the businesses that want to capitalize on the new audience available to them, we have also reduced our marketing fees by 40% till the end of 2020,” Tietgens says.

In addition, he’s pleased to have teamed up with Owl & Pen, a copywriting and content creation service based in the Monadnock region. “I enjoy their writing style and the entertainment with local flair they provide,” he describes.

His hope is that if local small businesses continue to team up and support each other, even in small ways, we’ll all come out on the other side of this, potentially with some great innovations.

“The future of any business is going to rely on how and when you communicate with your customers. The personal touch of direct contact will generate substantial growth for those that use it,” he says.

Local businesses looking for creative ways to spread the word about what they have to offer right now should definitely take advantage of their FREE listing on Matukka’s new site and get in touch to discover additional marketing opportunities.

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Owl & Pen collaborates with small business owners to craft, upcycle, and leverage quality content that cultivates online presence and credibility. Ready to tell your story?