Josh Utley views things through the prism of the Internet and social media.
These days, things are looking up.
Utley, president/CEO of Intrepid Network, a multimedia services and business solutions business, has worked with a number of clients, including Ocean Beach MainStreet Association, whose website he helped update. Utley also helped the business improvement district and its members recently develop more effective promotions and marketing through social media outreach.
The services Utley routinely provides include consulting, website design, redesign and hosting, Drupal development, programming, social network management and photography. He meet with prospective clients, identifies their goals and needs, then crafts a customized plan of action to ensure a client’s company’s online brand and reputation is “solid and constantly improving.”
During lunch recently in OB, Utley talked about himself, his career and all things Internet and networking.
Asked if he thought smart phones will become more important over time, Utley answered, “The phone is your remote control for life.”
A parent of millenials, Utley sees things through their eyes.
“When my daughter has her friends over, they’re all talking to each other on their phones,” he noted while pointing out, “But what we don’t see is there are probably five other people in on that conversation.”
How Utley got into the multimedia services and business solutions business is an interesting tale.
“In 2009, I was checking the surf out on the OBMA website and was shocked at the (dated) website,” he said, adding he then approached the bid about redoing it, which they were already considering.
“I jumped in and made it (website) a lot better, while keeping all the same content in the beginning,” Utley said. “We redid the website two or three years ago, then gave it another overhaul, making it a little bit ahead of the curve.”
Utley believes social media can improve your life — and your work. Though how much so, he added, depends on “what type of business you are, and how it (Internet) affects you.”
“It has become almost instantaneous,” noted Utley of Internet communication. “Social media is necessary for marketing and promotion for business. Social Media, right now, is an opportunity to utilize an available option. People are trying to find a balance.”
Social media was likened by Utley to “one spoke on a multi-spoked (Internet) wheel.”
Are websites becoming obsolete?
Not in Utley’s perspective.
“A website is a central repository for information and content,” he said pointing out that, if you rely solely on social media, “your (business) is kind of at their (customer’s) mercy — not everybody sees your post.”
Foreseeing “new social media channels emerging,” Utley pointed out it’s “too hard to predict in advance” what kind of an impact that will have on commerce and society.
“There’s a certain number of people who will always click on ads,” Utley said. “It will be up to individual businesses to determine what (advertising) is making money, and what is not. Most businesses will try a little bit of each (advertising alternative) to find out what works best for them.”
In his primary role as a business consultant, Utley develops business plans for clients “that fits their vision.”
Concerning the personal impact of the Internet and social media, Utley commented, “I like the flexibility technology has given me. I like how fast I can create a product.”
Utley talked about his MO.
“When I go in and analyze a business, I’m being paid to learn all about that business,” he said. “I try to develop a relationship with the owners, which takes time, up to a year. I become valuable to them as sounding board.”