BeResponsive Media celebrates 10 years of heart and hustle in Halifax
When David Tonen and Garth Holmes cofounded BeResponsive Media a decade ago, their goal was simple but bold. “We started the company because we wanted to bring integrity and transparency to the discipline of marketing,” says Tonen, CEO and Cofounder. “Garth and I love helping businesses be successful by having their marketing strategy drive revenue.”
Ten years on, that mission still fuels the Halifax-based digital marketing agency. But it’s evolved in some very deliberate ways. “Over the years, we have focused on working with companies that value the foundation of a marketing strategy,” says Tonen. “Focusing on tools and collateral without a plan as the foundation results in less effective outcomes.”
That clarity of purpose has shaped the firm’s growth, especially over the past five years. A turning point came in 2018, when BeResponsive worked with a business consulting company to sharpen its value proposition. “Over the two years of that engagement, we redefined our value propositions and targeted three specific sectors for specialization—public safety/security, education, and medical,” says Tonen. “The sectorization has been the key driver of our growth because of the experience and knowledge we bring to customers in these niche markets.”
Combined with a strong sense of place, that strategic focus has helped the team deliver standout results. “We have tried variations of outsourcing and remote work and determined that this doesn’t help us ‘be responsive,’” Tonen explains. “Our entire team of experts lives in Halifax and comes to our Bedford office daily. This allows for the highest level of problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity in our marketing, and our clients reap the value.”
One of those clients is New Jersey-based Eventide Communications, which operates in the public safety sector. “They embraced the value of developing a foundational marketing strategy to focus and strengthen their marketing and communications,” says Tonen. “Because of that commitment, they have seen the benefits of greater clarity in their messaging, focus on their target customers, and increased leads through their website and marketing campaigns. Their marketing engine is running very effectively, and it has elevated their revenue and brand recognition within the industry.”
That kind of measurable impact is key to the BeResponsive approach. “The greatest benefit of digital marketing is that every client has access to tons of data,” Tonen says. “We help identify the most critical metrics and interpret their meaning. Bringing simplicity and clarity to the numbers and presenting the truth about what is working and what isn’t ensures transparency and integrity in the digital strategies we have developed and implemented for each company.”
While the rise of AI is reshaping the marketing landscape, Tonen sees it as just another tool in the kit. “Our success is not tied to tools but to determining the strategy around how they will most strategically benefit each client,” he says.
Looking ahead, the BeResponsive team is feeling energized and ready for what’s next. “In many ways, we have just hit our stride in the past two years,” says Tonen. “We have seen our best growth through increased visibility and networking in our sectors of specialization. We will continue building on our expertise and involvement as we commit to serve each industry.”
For Tonen, there’s also a deep sense of pride in building a business that’s rooted in Halifax. “I love employing great people in our city to invest in our community’s talent,” he says. “The strength of our team’s expertise will be the foundation for the next level of growth we are entering.”
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