Going Local with Paige Sawin of Sparkcatcher Media

Paige Sawin, President of Sparkcatcher Media, won our virtual scavenger hunt at Street Fight LIVE 2024. She knows the local search space intimately and works with brands to ensure that when people search “near me,” her client brands, products, and services can be quickly and effectively found. We sat down with her to discuss the path leading her to HYLOMOS (hyper-local mobile search).

What has your career journey looked like? 

“My first job in advertising was with big pharma brands. It was a thrilling experience, especially working with large marketing budgets in a relatively new field. I appreciated the time I spent working on both media and the creative side, and the people I connected with were some of the best in the industry. Many of those relationships still hold value today.

My biggest challenge was how restrictive the messaging and targeting had to be. And given the nature of the industry, I get why. Pharmaceutical advertising is highly regulated, so a level of compliance and excellence needs to be met. 

Fast forward to when my dad invited me to join our family’s agency. At the time, they specialized in local advertising for enterprise brands and partners, primarily in print directories.

My business partner, Mike Gaydos, and I were tasked with transitioning the agency to a digital one. We saw an opportunity to maintain the agency’s local focus while embracing digital advertising strategies and services. This led us to explore hyperlocal and neighborhood-level approaches to search.

Working at the neighborhood level has been transformative.  It’s incredibly rewarding to create meaningful connections between brands and their local communities.”

What’s your company’s value relative to the “big four” search agencies? 

“I see these “big four” platforms as primarily technology companies. They offer premium tools for managing reputation, listings, and content organization, but their core value does not lie in service. The value that Sparkcatcher brings is that we focus on personalized service and strategic execution utilizing these technology tools. We understand that effective online brand management requires more than just great tools; it requires a great strategy and continuous, hands-on management.”

What are some of your core business principles?

“Authenticity is an important value to me and a key part of the Sparkcatcher culture. We believe in being sincere and transparent in everything we do—whether it’s with clients, vendors, or
our team. Honest communication helps build genuine, lasting relationships that can handle the ups and downs of the marketing landscape.

Along with authenticity, I also value consistency. My team and I strive to deliver reliable results, especially regarding customer service standards. With Sparkcatcher, clients know they can count on us to work toward their goals and meet expectations.

Myself personally, I always find joy. I like having fun (don’t we all?) and working with people I like. Otherwise, without this element, the work loses its meaning.”

What do you like most about your work? Least?

“I love creating and presenting a multimedia, neighborhood-level strategy that will work for our clients. And yes, the medium of choice is Google Slides! (I can already hear my team laughing—they know I’m a fan of a good slide deck). 

The challenges our clients face, no matter their size, involve navigating the constant changes with big search engines, especially now with the rise of AI. It’s frustrating to watch them not always get the most out of an investment as there is a point of diminishing return.”

Do you have a favorite success story?

“I’ve learned that patience is key when pitching big ideas—especially when you’re asking clients to trust a new approach. One of our biggest successes came after proposing and refining our neighborhood-level search marketing strategy three or four times over two years. It was Sparkcatcher’s first time asking a client to take a chance on something so new. After a few too many discussions, our client finally said, ‘OK. I’m done talking about this. Just make it happen! Sure enough, we’re running a successful, multi-neighborhood-level campaign with fantastic results. What is the moral of the story? Sometimes, persistence pays off—along with a little bit of ‘Please just trust us!’”

How is working with family?

“My dad and his business partner, Dean Hodges, are both excellent businesspeople and have been wonderful mentors to us throughout this significant transition. Their guidance has
been crucial in helping navigate the challenges of shifting focus, and their support has made the process much smoother.

The one area where we don’t always see eye-to-eye is our work-from-home policy! (We do get a lot of playful flack for not having the entire team in the office all the time.) It’s one of those lighthearted points of contention, but overall, we’ve found our balance and continued to
evolve as a business. By the way, we decided on a hybrid approach.”

What’s YOUR favorite thing to search for?

“I am a new(er) mom. I have two kids who are 2 and 4, so I search a ton using terms like ‘fun activities for my family near me,’ ‘activities for toddlers,” and ‘products that help with under-eye circles.’ I am into easy, toddler-friendly cooking, so many of my favorite searches involve finding
recipes that can be put together with items already in my fridge.

When I’m not searching for my family, I like to focus on searching small or local to support our community. We found the cutest, kid-friendly playroom/coffee shop a few miles from us by searching ‘kid-friendly coffee playdate near me.’ We are having our 2-year-old’s birthday party there next month!”