A native of Louisville, Todd Strause began his career in the marketing solutions industry after graduating from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
Strause, President and CEO of Strategic Marketing, said:
Strategic Marketing is a data-focused automotive marketing company that develops innovative business and marketing strategies. Having been in business for 28 years, Strause still carries the same passion that started the company in 1995.
“I love this business. I love helping other people. I love to see
Strause was recognized in this year’s Top Workplaces survey and won the Small Business (employers with less than 150 employees) Leadership Award. Top Workplaces is her partnership with Energage. Energage has spent her 15 years researching employers with a dedicated workforce.
The Courier Journal sat down with Strause to discuss strategic marketing and his leadership style.
This Q&A has been edited for space and clarity.
Courier Journal: What sets strategic marketing apart from other companies in the same field or industry?
Strauss: A big difference, or a big uniqueness, is that we are a data-driven company. Therefore, the data we can analyze for our clients allows us to make better decisions and push them towards specific products and services. Being able to understand and interpret that data makes the biggest difference and that is what I It’s what makes us unique.
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Courier Journal: Why are you in Louisville?
Strauss: [Louisville]is a great place to raise a family. We operate nationwide and can serve several different markets based on where we are located.
Courier Journal: How would you describe the culture of strategic marketing?
Strauss: i won’t explain it. we have a great culture. We are fast-paced. It’s fun. People understand what their roles and responsibilities are. One of the things I love about this business is the team atmosphere and everyone helping others. And one of the things we really focus on is when we hire people, we have to make sure they meet and align with our core values. And that is, I think the biggest thing any company can do is hire like-minded individuals.
Courier Journal: What are your core values?
Strauss: Level 10 Attitude is one of the biggest we have. We have a core value of “before us”. We are service centric. We always want to win and that’s what I love about our organization. These are just a few, but it all starts with integrity.
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Courier Journal: How do you retain employees and attract new ones in today’s competitive labor market?
Strauss: I think all you have to do is demonstrate that your business has the opportunity to grow professionally and financially. and if you can get your employees to understand them, I think that’s how you keep them. It’s also a way of recruiting people because people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves and want to be around successful businesses that they participate in.
Courier Journal: In your 28 years of owning and running this business, how have you seen your leadership style change and grow?
Strauss: It all starts with hiring the right like-minded people. That way, you’ll be on the same page when communicating and understand what your end goal is. And we are in the business of helping businesses succeed. Also, when interviewing individuals who think more of themselves than helping others, that probably indicates that person may not be a good fit for our business. , I learned that you can achieve success if you can lead others to success.
Courier Journal: Why is leadership important to you?
Strauss: To be a good leader, you need to have a clear vision for your company. I also believe that leadership requires being a good communicator and ensuring that others understand what the goals of the business are. I think we are in a position to talk about it.
Courier Journal: What has been your biggest challenge as a leader this past year?
Strauss: We are in the automotive industry, so there is a shortage of automotive chips. And our business is helping car dealers sell vehicles. We had to shift our strategy and allow our clients to acquire inventory in a variety of ways. So not only were we able to help them keep selling inventory that was low, but they were also able to help build up their used car inventory so that they could sell something to customers when they were walking. at the door.
Please contact Business Reporter Olivia Evans at [email protected]
strategic marketing
Local locations: 1
Founded: 1995
Owned by: private
Regional employees: 53
Chief executive officer: CEO and President Todd Strause