Joanna Tanger: Utilizing the Power of Technology to Make a Positive Impact
Founder of Joanna Tanger Consulting LLC
Joanna Tanger is the founder of Joanna Tanger Consulting LLC, a digital strategy firm with 15 years of experience in managing marketing, technology, fundraising, and strategic communications for international nonprofits, higher education institutions, and startups. Her passion for using technology for good is fueled by her love of traveling, learning, and reading.
Her journey into digital marketing started accidentally when she taught herself HTML at the age of 14 and created a website for young women, called Hip Chick Zine. The website covered a range of topics, including women’s empowerment, personal style, fashion, health and fitness, and featured writing from other women. Joanna’s early experiences with digital marketing included Twitter, where she had a few thousand followers and was approached by a young designer from Hong Kong to do a fashion show. After ten years, she outgrew the website and transitioned to other things—including moving to Prague to teach Business English.
Her background in cultural anthropology, which centers on comprehending people, cultures, and storytelling, has proven to be an asset in Joanna’s marketing career. She implements her previous experience into her new business to some extent but has also learned new skills and techniques along the way.
The inception of her consulting career commenced when a former employer provided Joanna with an opportunity to serve as a consultant, as she required additional funds to support her graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. After graduation, she began looking for jobs but found herself uninspired. She overcame her fears of starting her own business and decided to create an LLC. Joanna’s entrepreneurial spirit, freedom to choose who she wants to work with, and willingness to learn and grow from failure have driven her to work with organizations and companies that she cares about and wants to see succeed.
Joanna Tanger Consulting LLC, her company, extends personalized marketing and digital strategy solutions to a diverse range of entities, comprising small businesses, nonprofits, and startups. Although she primarily works with nonprofits, Joanna also enjoys working with startups. Her services are tailored to each client’s specific needs and can include developing marketing strategy plans, creating content, fundraising plans, corporate sponsorship programs, public relations, social media marketing, reviewing websites, redesigning them, and providing staff training. Joanna recognizes that nonprofits often have limited budgets and frequently split marketing among multiple positions, resulting in marketing being an afterthought. Thus, her passion for helping nonprofits succeed is fueled by her nonprofit background and ability to charge less than larger digital agencies.
From SEO to digital marketing, encompassing social media and newsletters, the spectrum of services provided by Joanna’s company is vast. She can be as involved in the implementation process as her clients prefer. Joanna conducts a discovery call with her clients to understand their goals and objectives and develop a plan of action. The next step is usually a marketing audit, where she analyzes the client’s website, social media, email marketing, and other materials related to their key audiences. She then creates a report highlighting areas for improvement and suggests recommendations. For longer-term clients, Joanna schedules regular meetings to discuss measurable objectives based on the initial plan she made.
As a one-person team, she values streamlined communication and the ability to tailor her approach to her clients’ needs. Her technical background in web design and proficiency in content creation and writing allows her to approach projects holistically with a focus on SEO and advertising. But her empathy for her clients, having been an employee in organizations herself, makes her a better consultant. She listens to her client’s needs and creates tailored approaches for each one.
In addition to creating successful digital marketing strategies, Joanna offers training to empower teams to track and measure success moving forward. She loves teaching and finds that training sessions often develop informally from a project. In the future, Joanna plans to scale her business and bring in another team member. She also wants to create more resources for her clients, such as a blog on her website and a library of resources and best practices. Joanna leads a fulfilling life that’s centered around finding a balance between work and play. Family time is a top priority, and she cherishes moments with her furry friends – two Border Collies and two cats. When it comes to staying active, Joanna enjoys challenging herself with outdoor adventures like backcountry skiing and kayaking. Soccer is another passion, and she never misses a chance to play. Having lived and worked abroad, regular travel remains a top priority for her. Her creativity doesn’t stop there; she’s also a talented violinist, having trained in the classical style. She finds joy in playing music and often jams out to her favorite tunes. Reading is another source of inspiration for Joanna, and she indulges in a wide range of genres, including personal finance, business, and fiction.
As someone who has achieved success in the digital marketing industry, Joanna offers valuable advice to women looking to follow in her footsteps. She encourages them not to let imposter syndrome hold them back and to take the leap, even if they don’t feel entirely ready. Joanna emphasizes the importance of having a curious mind and being passionate about learning in the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing. Lastly, she underscores the importance of taking care of oneself and recharging regularly, as balancing the business side of things with personal well-being is crucial.
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