April Smith Stays Ahead of the Curve
Written by Meg Seitz · Photography by Julia Fay
We might be a tad bit biased here, but April Smith knows a good thing when she sees it.
Smith’s boutique marketing firm, Social Ape Marketing, was the first business to join Hygge with a dedicated office space. This week, we’re celebrating the company’s two-year anniversary at the Third Ward location.
“We moved in on December 1, 2015,” Smith recalls. “We’ve seen a lot of change, but we love it; we love the collaborative environment and the people; the idea that we know everyone who sits on our side or even the fact that people feel comfortable enough to drop by and say hi.”
That collaborative spirit and people-focus is how Smith runs her business, too.
Smith was an early adopter in social media marketing for business. She expressed interest in learning more about social media marketing back in 2009 when Charlotte and QC businesses were just trying to make it through the recession. Smith saw an opportunity. She volunteered with SOCIAL FRESH, a social media conference to learn more; an internship followed which allowed her to keep teaching herself more about social media and take on several clients on the side. She worked on several projects for free. Then, she got a direct message on Twitter regarding contract social media work – for ESPN. She landed that contract.
“We see ourselves as an extension of THEIR business,” Smith explains. “We’re in daily communication with each other; we’re friends with them; we want to work with people we get along with; we have faith in their businesses, too.”
What happened after the ESPN contract ended was the great entrepreneurial dilemma – go out on your own and work for yourself or start interviewing with larger companies or brands who needed social media marketing support.
Smith launched her own firm, Social Ape Marketing, in July 2012.
If it’s not entirely obvious, the company’s name is a nod to the founder. “’Ape’ comes from my first name, April,” she explains. “It’s been a nickname since high school.”
Today, the boutique firm employs three full-time: Smith, Jerome Simeon, and Melissa Nemec. They’ll be bringing on a fourth member of the team shortly.
Smith manages Social Ape’s business development, overseeing the accounts and leading the team so the firm can continue to experience the organic growth they’ve had the last several years. Many of the clients who started with Social Ape for social media marketing wanted more including services like branding, event management or public relations. Social Ape’s team was able to meet those needs – a lot of times because they consider themselves partners with their clients versus vendors.
“We see ourselves as an extension of THEIR business,” Smith explains. “We’re in daily communication with each other; we’re friends with them; we want to work with people we get along with; we have faith in their businesses, too.”
If anything is clear about Smith’s story it’s that she thrives on being ahead of the curve – that’s whether we’re talking about social media marketing or co-working. With all that said though, she’s really about making connections – and helping people and businesses find the spotlight they deserve.
“It’s so rewarding to meet fellow business owners with a great product or service who don’t know how to tell their story – and then to help them tell their story,” she says. “I’m just really passionate about helping them to find ways to get noticed and stand out in the crowd.”
Meet the Author: Meg Seitz is the Founder and Managing Creative Partner of toth shop, an agency with one goal: Elevate your brand’s content through powerful writing, creativity, and strategy. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor with Queens University and Founding Partner of the children’s book series, “Bea is for Business”.
She’s an English major with an MBA, so she can talk Homer’s “The Odyssey” just as well as she can talk sunk costs – though she’d much prefer the former.
Meet the photographer: Julia Murray, owner of Julia Fay Photography, feels most at home behind a camera with a story to tell on the other side. Her business began during her sophomore year of college, while majoring in radio and tv broadcasting. Now residing in Charlotte NC, she primarily shoots weddings and other local small businesses like her own. Her favorite part about her job is the connection it brings between art and people.
