Wild West Online Productions Ropes in Customers

Like the frontier folks of the Old West, Tyler and Julie Morris, owners of Wild West Online Productions in New Lenox are brave enough and equipped to handle everything from dust storms to crop damage and from gunslingers to saloon brawls. When translated to 21st century lingo that means the pair is prepared to conquer the 21st Century frontier with as much gusto and savvy as the gun fight at the OK Corral.  

Unlike the horse-riding sheriff and his deputies that follow the dusty trail, the Morris' arrive on the scene along the Internet trail. They've determined that Internet marketing has paths that lead to social media utilization, tracks that follow video broadcasts, and Web management techniques that attract customers like ducks to water.  

An economics major in college with more than 15 years in credit management and small business development, Tyler Morris is the man that identifies the style of marketing strategy that matches the specific needs of the company—whether that's a basement refurbishing firm, automotive repair shop or dental practice. The goal is to build clientele. Julie, his wife of seven years, has a combination of computer and web management expertise. Together they can blaze a trail that leads to a gold mine of opportunities for their clients.

"It's never just  one strategy," Julie said. It's a combination of "functions" that work to lasso the fullest potential of the Internet. While she's more than comfortable wearing stylish cowboy boots and a broad-rimmed cowboy hat, this gal from Colville, Washington, about 15 miles south of the Canadian border,  is no clodhopper when it comes to riding the range of online media marketing venues.

There's a variety of outlets, including YouTube, Bing, LinkedIn, Google, keywords, tag lines and Twitter. At the moment, Facebook is the biggest commodity out there, Tyler said. Consequently, "we help businesses refresh their websites, establish a social media presence and manage blog content" in a manner that links in one way or another to Facebook. Meanwhile, the 1-to-3-minute videos that the couple produce and link to Facebook are facilitated so that they achieve top placement on Internet search engines.

According to Tyler, the newest phase in Internet marketing is mobile applications. Sitting in the indoor patio at Atrium Pointe, a business space at the intersection of Route 30 and Schoolhouse Road, Tyler concludes a meeting with a client from Springfield and turns to inform another potential client that "50 percent of Web traffic is done with hand-held or mobile devices. So we're helping to move clients in that direction." Websites are a key ingredient in the recipe for Internet marketing, but today's customers appreciate "fast and friendly" updates.

With a commitment to ongoing development, the couple makes it their business to keep up with trends. Unlike the "in your face" kind of advertisements that used to rule the airwaves, Tyler said he believes that people today don't want to be pressured or sold.

"It's all about relationship-building," he said. "They want to know who that guy is after his tie comes off at the end of the day."

With that in mind, Wild West Online Productions is promoting the social graces of friendly, speedy and efficient advertising. The videos enable business owners to "tell their story and it builds credibility when someone sees you as a real person," said Julie. The blogs offer an opportunity for business professionals to share their insights about a particular industry, and the mobile applications work to reach out to the client in the immediacy.

A marketing philosophy such as this establishes a "friendship or at least a camaraderie" because it's all about satisfying the customer's needs and discovering ways to eliminate obstacles, he explained. In the nutshell, he said, when all the elements are "leveraged in your favor, you'll gain the customer's trust and confidence."

Wild West Online Productions

• Website: wildwestonlineproductions.com
• Phone: 800-234-1522