How a Passion for Helping Others Transformed One Person's Hobby into an Agency

Welcome to our Agency Spotlight series! Each article will feature pioneers of the #agencylife and how they run their businesses in the modern world. In this edition, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Luke Redhead to discuss how Sentry Collective went from idea to a passion-run agency.

Meet Luke

Luke Redhead - Founder

Luke has always had a knack for writing and a passion for helping people.

While working as an Software Implementation Specialist, Luke found himself looking for something more on evenings and weekends. So, he decided to take on some freelance work to fuel his passions and build on his writing skills.

Six months later, Sentry Collective was born.

Tell us a little bit about Sentry Collective

Throughout my career, I worked as a Software Implementation Specialist and later became a Support Manager. Outside of my core responsibilities, I also wore many hats. I became known as the go-to "words guy" and spent a lot of my time writing copy for other departments.

I performed well in my career, but realized that I was more passionate about creativity compared to the technically-minded support pros that I worked with. This realization, combined with my passion for helping people, and a sprinkle of free time outside of work inspired me to start offering freelance copywriting services.

We started off by offering article subscription packages and website copy services. We put a heavy emphasis on understanding our clients' needs and ensuring that they were a good fit for working with us.

As our agency grew, we realized that we needed a stronger social media presence. We signed up for a HeyOrca account and quickly realized that managing social media isn't all that bad!

In a nutshell, we turn words into content.

What do you enjoy most about working with clients?

I started Sentry Collective to transform my spare time into value for others - to help businesses out there succeed.

To take an idea that existed in the clients' head and deliver a final project that's going to add value to their business - it's fantastic. Seeing how much the clients love the results makes it all worthwhile.

How do you build a strong relationship with your clients?

People buy from people. When you think of a company or anything, you're buying from the person you are talking to. Especially in the current environment. As someone who is purchasing a service, the client needs to find someone they can trust with their marketing vision.

Clients want to know that they are being looked after and want to know that you will be there when you need them.

In my opinion, the absolute best way of building that trust is to get to know your client on a personal level - and for them to get to know you. Show them your emotion. Show them your passion. Show them why you do what you do.

Our reason for existing is to help people create the content they were looking for but couldn't achieve on their own. When clients understand our purpose, they realize that they are investing in us as people. It's people helping people!

How Did You First Hear About HeyOrca?

When we were starting out, it quickly became apparent that we needed to have an established presence on social media. We started managing it internally and realized that social media management would be a fitting addition to our services.

Someone in my network ended up referring me to HeyOrca.

What were you looking for in a Social Media Calendar Tool?

For starters, I was looking for a visual platform to manage multiple social media accounts.

I really wanted something that came in calendar format, because ... well, it really doesn't make sense to have it any other way.

I signed-up for a demo and was really impressed by the platform. Some of the things that stood out most to me were:

• How simple HeyOrca was to use. It just makes sense. I know that clients will understand it right away.
• The flexible pricing structure that allows us to scale up as we bring on more clients
• The visual editor! Very key. It's so helpful to know that the draft you are creating will publish to social media channels exactly as you see it when it goes live.
• How adaptable HeyOrca is. It makes it so easy to make tweaks and edits on the fly. You're never duplicating work - just working efficiently.

Would you recommend HeyOrca to other social media managers and agencies?

Definitely. It's a fantastic product and something I've recommend to others.

It's very easy to use and very effective. It saves me a hell of a lot of time. If I've got 30 mins to spare, I can easily line up some posts.

Having used it to manage our own social media accounts, I've experienced first-hand how reliable and user-friendly it is. I feel confident that my clients will have reliable technology backing their social posts.

The per calendar pricing model also allows me to scale up as I grow. With other platforms, I'd have to pay a ton more down the road.

Check out sentrycollective.com to learn more about Luke and his team.

Want to showcase your agency? Email datis@heyorca.com to have your agency featured in our Agency Spotlight series!

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