Q+M adds another world-class acronym to its arsenal with a new office and a new employee in TC. It’s no small honor to be in the same company as Q+M’s presence in cities like Ann Arbor (A2) and Los Angeles (LA).
Taking just a moment to introduce myself and my fair city is a great opportunity to highlight why I love living, working, and playing in Northern Michigan. Using that timeless geographical reference of pointing-to-your-bare-hand-held-up-to-strangers-to-represent-Michigan, we’re located in the pinky area, about two and a half hours north of Grand Rapids. We’ve got two bays to choose from, creatively named “West” and “East”, split right down the middle by beautiful Old Mission Peninsula.
It’s the perfect-sized town; big enough that there’s always something cool happening, but small enough that you’re almost always going to run into a friend. My favorite place to be is in the heart of downtown, ‘grammin at Brew, drinking coffee, eating cookies, and ‘making some Internet’ for clients all over Michigan.
Adding Traverse City is a big move for Q+M, and I really hope some of my new co-workers get a chance to come visit. I put together three things they should know before they head north, just so that they don’t feel like a ‘fudgie’.
- You’re a fudgie. That’s what we call tourists, with peak fudgie season coming in mid-June and reaching its zenith during the National Cherry Festival in July and ebbing after the Traverse City Film Festival in August. Tourists are what keep the city alive, and most natives realize that. Of course, there are a few curmudgeons that find the increased traffic a devastating nuisance.
- Traffic is a nuisance. Well, locals tend to make it out to be a nightmare. It’s because we are spoiled. I find myself agonizing about driving ‘across town’, which is a maximum of five miles and perhaps ten minutes in all but the very worst of Cherry Festival traffic. Most people around the state would laugh at calling that a commute and have no trouble braving these trying conditions during their family vacations, even if it means asking for directions.
- Don’t ask teenagers for directions. Nine times out of ten, any miscreant youth will direct some weary traveler to look for Fourth Street. There isn’t a Fourth Street, because they skipped from Third to Fifth and called the road in between Front. You’ll never find Fourth Street, and all locals have assumed that there is some sort of vortex that all the people looking for it have disappeared into.
Social media has been a big factor in changing the habits of locals and creating interest for tourists, and it’s a vital marketing tool that we’ve sharpened over the years. Finding and magnifying your voice, your image, and your message help define your business to hundreds of thousands of people. Done right, social media attracts not just business but a following that serves as ambassadors for your organization digitally and in everyday conversations.
From social content, video production, the website you’ve always dreamed of, and everything else you can think of, Q+M does it better than anybody. Now we do it from the Cherry Capital of the World, too.
Cody Sovis is a writer, cyclist, social media junkie and the newest member of the Q+M Dream Team. Ready to see what Q+M can create for you? Email cody@qandm.agency to get started…and get a cup of coffee in the process.