Meet Chris Hanson | CEO at 3GEngagement, a Digital Marketing Agency

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Hanson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
For me it all came down to making a decision for my family. That was the foundation of the decision that everything else was built on. At the time I was a digital strategist at a large agency for an automotive client and it was a job that I really enjoyed but because of new terms with the client, it was going to start to require a minimum of 80% travel. I just didn’t see how that could possibly work without it taking a huge toll on my family. I had already spent most of the kids time growing up working too much as it was but at least I was at home most evenings. And we were just feeling like we were getting back on our feet after being in the car industry and going through 2008-2010.  So 2011 was not a good time to be thinking about leaving a job.

But after spending a lot of time talking with my wife and praying about it, we decided that 80% travel would put too much of a strain on our family. From there I started thinking that maybe I could start my own business so I gave my notice. They asked me if I could put on a week of training at the corporate office for the other digital strategists, current and new hires before I left. And since my last day would be a month out, I started working on a business plan in the evenings and weekends.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are a digital marketing agency that works with all types of different small-large companies with our core services being all forms of Paid Search, SEO and Reputation Management. We have a lot of automotive clients, restaurants (including a 200+ restaurant chain), fly fishing shops/lodges and many other types of businesses.

What separates us from most other agencies is that instead of the bulk of our effort going into landing more clients, the bulk of our effort goes into keeping the clients that we have. Most companies scale up their sales departments while we are scaling up the team that is doing the work for clients. We have many clients that have been with us since 2011 and many that have been with us along the way from there. My hope with all of the new clients that we start working with each month, each year, is for the same thing to happen. That we are working with them 5, 10 years from now. When that happens, we know their business inside and out. And the amazing people running those businesses. We know what their pain points are, where they are trying to grow and who their customers are. And because of that, other companies just can’t compete with us.

And lastly, “out of scope” is not a term we use. If we can help a client with an issue, one that doesn’t fall under the services that are signed up with, we still jump in and help.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love fly fishing, BBQ and hanging outside with my family at our house which is surrounded by trees so the typical visit from friends goes like this. I fire up the smoker to smoke a brisket, ribs or pork butt and make a bunch of fun appetizers. And Bobbi-Jo is an amazing cook so she plans out some amazing meals and I help support with side dishes, appetizers and whatever else she needs. We’ll probably open a nice bottle of wine, or I’ll make some cocktails. I’m a huge bourbon fan so most cocktails revolve around bourbon but I can make pretty much any cocktail.  We have a nice outdoor kitchen and comfortable area around it that everyone can chill out and relax around.

Now that we have the week planned out for food, it’s time to go fly fishing. My favorite spots to take them fly fishing is where I fly fish year round including the winter because they all stay open since they are tailwaters. The South Platte River. I fish all of the following stretches, Eleven Mile Canyon, Cheesman Canyon, Deckers and the Dream Stream.

I would spend all of my time fly fishing but alas friends like to go sightseeing so Bobbi-Jo has a list of favorites to take them.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Well that would definitely be my best friend Bobbi-Jo. Oh, and we’ve been married for coming up on 30 years. Through thick and thin, good times and bad, she’s always been there with me, every step of the way.

Website: https://3gengagement.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisjhanson/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjhanson/

Youtube: https://youtu.be/5DPeZm4IwHM