Content Specialists Spotlight: Meet the OOO Team
Our Content Specialists serve as the voice for our local business customers across the country — crafting original, on-brand content for our customers on social media and authentically representing our customers through responses on online review sites.
One specialty team, our Content Specialists, Out of Office, work to cover the content that needs to go out to keep their teammates on track. They wear many hats and take on many tasks: whether that’s fielding customer requests, creating on-brand content, or managing online review responses for our customers, the Out of Office Team [or the Ghostwriters, as they’ve named themselves] is here to ensure continuity of quality for our team and our customers.
We talked to Content Team members Amelia Blumenfeld, Brooke Bullard, Mary DeVillez, Cameron Goodall, Colleen Griffin, Jake Reed, and Jourden Sanders on what it’s like to be on the Content Team at Main Street Hub, a GoDaddy company, making an impact for small businesses across the country:
1. Why did you want to join the Content Team at Main Street Hub?
Colleen Griffin: “First and foremost, Main Street Hub’s mission was what intrigued me to join the Content Team. Representing our local heroes across the nation is something I’m proud to say I represent here. Having a direct impact with their content and using my creativity to help reach their goals is mainly why I wanted to join the Content Team.”
Mary DeVillez: “I loved the idea of serving local businesses across the country, and using my social media expertise to do so was definitely a plus. Why I joined the OOO Team? I saw the opportunity to make a bigger impact on the Content Team as a whole, and the thought of being able to serve even more of our customers was really exciting.”
Jake Reed: “I’ve always been passionate about writing and about words in general. My career path took me all over the place after college, so when I moved to Austin, I knew I wanted to focus in on what I’m best at and what I see myself doing in the long run.”
Jourden Sanders: “I wanted to be part of a team that was doing something inventive and creative, which our Content Team does every day!”
Cameron Goodall: “I studied advertising through college, and I’ve always had an interest in the digital media side of the subject. My favorite part of advertising is creating unique copy that really grabs people’s attention and starts a conversation. Being on the Content Team here at Main Street Hub presents a great deal of opportunity to learn more about what works and why, all while helping local businesses get their names and unique offerings out there.”
Brooke Bullard: “I actually first heard about Main Street Hub when I was working for a small, local business and attended one of Main Street Hub’s public workshops on how to best handle Yelp reviews. I learned a lot during the workshop and was really impressed by the speaker’s obvious passion for supporting local businesses. [Check out some of our workshops and webinars here!]
“When I ended up working in the same building at 600 Congress, and saw that Main Street Hub was on the 12th floor, I knew I wanted to learn more about the company. Within a few months, I started on the Content Team.”
Amelia Blumenfeld: “My dad owns his own business, so I grew up with an emphasis on supporting local. The Community Manager role (which is the role I started in at Main Street Hub) seemed like a creative, engaging, and personal way to further a cause that was already important to me.”
2. What do you do as a Content Specialist on the OoO Team?
Jake: “It feels like we do a lot over the course of a single day, but with my team, there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished! Real talk, we hone in on the voices of hundreds of customers and deliver the very best content we can. Plus, we take notes to share as feedback so our fellow Content Specialists can continue elevating their work once they return to the office.”
Brooke: “We work together to make sure every customer is provided with outstanding work.”
3. What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Mary: “In an ever-growing industry, both in the social media landscape and in our startup working environment, I have to be flexible and adapt to change quickly. Being in this role has made me better at thinking on my feet and rising to the occasion with solutions to any given challenge my team may face.”
Amelia: “I love that my role involves supporting the Content Team as a whole. Also, I love being able to see the creative, informative, and witty ‘wins’ that my friends publish every day. It really makes me appreciate the brains and work ethics of my teammates. I constantly get to learn about new businesses and the families and stories that drive them.”
Jake: “The people I work with! The ghosties are a solid team — we share a lot of laughs and a lot of support. Plus, the content team at large is a fun and creative bunch.”
Colleen: “My favorite thing about my job is working with a fun team and seeing the impact we’re making for all of our customers.”
4. What inspires you every day while you’re working on behalf of our customers?
Jake: “Some of my favorite customers are places I’ve frequented back home, so I can see the way my work impacts staple businesses in our community. With that as a frame of reference, I make sure I’m giving the same amount of love and dedication to every customer I’m working on behalf of. Every business owner has a dream, and we’re just doing a little piece to make that dream a reality.”
Mary: “I really admire small business owners and everything that goes into building something from the ground up. It takes a strong work ethic and a fair amount of fearlessness which are both attitudes that inspire me every day.”
Amelia: “I really like seeing the impact that our work has. Learning that a customer really loved a post I made or seeing a review from a truly happy customer of theirs makes my day.”
Brooke: “Definitely my team. I’m honored to work alongside such dedicated, creative, and talented ‘ghosts.’”
5. How do you think the work you’re doing/we’re doing as a company helps small businesses?
Mary: “We get to focus on what we do best so small businesses can focus on their bread and butter (sometimes literally)!”
Colleen: “We’re giving them more exposure to the community via social media platforms and also providing the personal connection with their customers in review responses.”
Cameron: “The work we do really helps get small businesses out there and put them on the map. A lot of owners don’t necessarily know how to use social media to its full potential, and I think that our team is able to put these businesses on a new playing field in the digital world.”
Jake: “As avid users of social media, we know what will drive new customers to a business. Our customers put out their great products and services, and we help them spread the word as far as it can go.”
Jourden: “Small businesses are realizing how integral social media is to their brand and reputation, but many of these mom-and-pop shops need help growing their business’ presence on these platforms. It’s exciting that we can be there for the hard-working people who run the wonderful businesses that we know and love all over the country.”
Amelia: “Small business owners are incredibly busy, so I think our service takes a lot off their plates. Knowing that a team of experts is keeping their online presence happy and healthy frees up a lot of time and creates peace of mind for these individuals.”
Brooke: “We’re able to give our customers a voice in their community and connect with them through meaningful conversations. Being able to offer our customers consistent quality is important, which is why I love what our team does.”
6. What’s your favorite local business?
Mary: “If I can only pick one, I’d probably go with Cosmic Coffee since it has awesome food trucks, killer chai lattes, and specialty cocktails.”
Cameron: “My favorite local business would have to be Sean Patrick’s. It’s an Irish Pub down in San Marcos that has great food, an awesome and always changing beer list, and a fun, welcoming environment. Oh, and you can bring your pets too!”
Amelia: “My favorite local business in Austin is definitely BookPeople. It’s so easy to get lost in there for a whole day. The staff there is wonderful, too — they’re passionate and knowledgeable, and they always give great recommendations and suggestions. I rarely leave with less than two new books.”
Jake: “The Bolton Bean in Bolton, Massachusetts! I can’t remember a time when we’ve had more than five restaurants in my hometown, let alone a single coffee shop. This place opened up just before I moved to Texas, so now I visit with my mom anytime I’m back home.”
Colleen: “My favorite local businesses are Blue Velvet Vintage and Tyson’s Tacos.”
Brooke: “The Alamo Drafthouse. I love that you always feel welcomed there, the food is great, and you can’t beat those ‘no talking’ announcements at the beginning of every screening.”
Jourden: “I’d have to say Yard Bar for a place to hang out, and Arlo’s for a place to eat!”
