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Friday
March 29th, 2024

spoton ribbon cuttingSpotOn Accounts Executive Dylan Braun cuts the ribbon to signify SpotOn’s working in Liberal during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Rock Island Depot Thursday morning. Braun said he is excited to continue working in the area, having worked in Liberal and Guymon, Okla. for the past year. L&T photo/Elly GrimmELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

Many businesses need an ally with certain aspects, such as marketing and other Web site and online services. 

Thursday morning, the Liberal Chamber of Commerce welcomed the company SpotOn with a ribbon-cutting at the Rock Island Depot. 

“We're SpotOn, and essentially, we're a digital marketing and business services company. We do Web sites, we do e-mail marketing campaigns and those programs, and other merchant services,” SpotOn Account Executive Dylan Braun said. “The company is actually based in San Francisco and it was started by some people who had been in that industry for a long time and some other investors. They had seen a need for more consulting services in this industry, so they started SpotOn.”

Having worked in the area for nearly a year, Braun said it made sense for the company to expand into the area, 

“I've been working out here for about a year now, and I primarily work in Liberal and Guymon, Okla.,” Braun said. “We're all over the place and in a lot of communities, and our plan is to reach out more to smaller communities that don't have as many options or resources as the bigger metro markets. It's easier for us to get into the smaller markets and let people know what we do. And working in this area, everything’s been great. Since I work a lot here in Liberal and in Guymon, and I've made a lot of friends and connections, so that's been great. I live in Colorado, but I primarily work here, and it's been great meeting new people and being able to assist companies with our services. One of my co-workers a few days ago, actually, was talking about how he'd been able to save a restaurant client like $700 a month on a certain service, which allowed them to eventually invest in some new equipment. We enjoy helping out small businesses and helping them save on some of those expenses.”

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Overall, Braun said, the company sees itself as another tool for businesses. 

“We see ourselves as consultants more than anything else, so if anyone has any questions about marketing or software programs they use or Web sites or online ordering, or even credit card stuff, we can assist with all of that,” Braun said. “We can help them in a lot of ways and show them new ways to do certain things, like with marketing. Our industry's kind of tricky. A lot of the financial side of things really isn't fun – not a lot of people like talking about credit card stuff or things like that. A lot of the clients I've worked with, before everything was finalized, they weren't even aware of what they were paying for certain things, so it's good to have an ally like us to be able to explain things to them and show them what their expenses are and make it easier to grasp.”

And having that support for Liberal, Braun said, is a big advantage.

“That support is a big thing. Typically, once people get set up, it's not usually something you have to check on a lot,” Braun said. “It's nice to have clients call or text even – I encourage all my clients, if they have any questions, to get ahold of me directly so we can get everything solved. There's one client of mine in Colorado who texted me just a few nights ago with some questions they had, and I was able to respond to them pretty quickly. So having that support will help them explore some different avenues. As far as a storefront, we won't actually have a physical office here, I actually travel to everywhere I need to work, but I am very easy to contact. The company itself is based in San Francisco, and the company's second largest base is in Denver. If people want to get ahold of me, they can call or text me at (414) 313-4032 or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I'm typically in town in person every other weekend or so. Another big thing we do is catch discount programs, which helps with eliminating credit card fees. Or if they have any marketing questions or want to have an online store for their business, like if they're a restaurant that wants to implement more online ordering options, we can help with that. We also help with HR matters and other software program questions. A lot of that stuff can be kind of fragmented, so it's handy to have some of that all in one spot.”

And especially during the pandemic, when companies have had to get very creative to keep their doors open, Braun said marketing has become especially important.

“Marketing is important all the time, obviously, but a nice thing about what we do is, since we can do so many things, we can typically lower certain costs and the amount of some of the extra work,” Braun said. “With things the way they are now with COVID-19, it's important to keep your customers informed of what's going on, and also be mindful of some of those extra costs since businesses are looking for ways to save some money. It's always a good idea to review all of that and make sure you're using only what you need so your money goes to good use.”

Braun added he is looking forward to continuing working with the area. 

“I'm looking forward to meeting other business owners in Liberal and helping them with what they need, they shouldn't hesitate to get ahold of me by either phone or e-mail if they have any questions about anything,” Braun said. “We’re always ready to help.”