Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Bell.
Hi Jeff, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
“Begin at the beginning” is the phrase. I was a journalism major at Pittsburg State and ended up getting hired to lead the newsroom at KKOW radio in Southeast Kansas. That’s an odd way to begin a journey towards owning your own marketing agency, but that’s how this journey began. After several years of hometown radio news broadcasting I decided to try my hand in a bigger market and made the move to Kansas City in 2005, joining the team at KCMO radio. From there, I did a brief stint co-hosting a mid-day show in Topeka before returning to KC and serving as the roving morning show reporter at KMBZ. After a few enjoyable years in that position, I decided to make a change. Early mornings and long hours were taking their toll on my young family so I went back to school in pursuit of a business degree. Following a short stint as a broker, I found my way into the world of public relations at a senior living-focused marketing firm called GlynnDevins. I started as an account executive and left as a PR supervisor. It was an extremely reward experience where I not only learned an industry but also achieved great success improving my craft as a public relations professional. Following a short stint leading a PR team at another agency, I decided to go it alone, founding Bell PR & Marketing in June of 2020. It was the beginning of the pandemic and senior living communities were drowning, trying to navigate everything from resident safety to regulatory changes. We stepped in as a trusted crisis communications source, building trust along the way. Many of those communities turned into long-term clients and when the dust finally settled from COVID, we were able to get back to doing great marketing and PR work, helping communities to find residents and promote their programs, activities and culture. We started as a solo operation and have since grown to employ a handful of talented marketers. Our revenue has increased year over year and we’ve served clients from California to Iowa to Florida and beyond. Aside from running the agency day-to-day, I’m also an adjunct professor at a local college, teaching public relations to the next generation of marketing pros. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience – both running the agency and teaching – and I’m very proud of the culture and reputation we’ve built at Bell. Our team has decades of combined experience in the senior living industry and I wouldn’t be where I am without their dedication. Julie Montoya-Huston, our creative director, and Lisa Diehl, who leads our SEO, paid search and digital marketing efforts, are as responsible for the success of our agency as anyone. They are the foundation of who we are and what we stand for.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No successful journey is all smooth sailing and running an agency is no different. We saw initial success helping clients through the pandemic, followed by some serious struggles with achieving growth following that early “boom.” We had a lot of setbacks – proposals that made it all the way to the “final two” only to be declined – and there were nights when I didn’t get much sleep wondering if we’d ever get over the next hurdle. Persistence and prayer paid off and we finally began to sign larger clients who gave us more and more to do. I learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t from a business development standpoint and we had to work very hard to earn and keep new clients. There are plenty of marketing agencies out there, so differentiation became important. We began to “sell” Bell as the agency that leads with story. Story informs all of our marketing strategy and is essential to helping senior living communities succeed. I’m a big believer in the Simon Sinek adage, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Story helps bring clarity to a client’s “why.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We’re a full-service senior living marketing agency, meaning we provide everything from digital marketing to public relations to direct mail to social media support. Our clients are either senior living communities, dementia care communities or senior living/health care vendors/organizations. 10,000 Baby Boomers continue to retire every day so our industry is in the midst of an incredible boom but also incredible change. The Boomers are unlike any generation before them, so it’s critical that communities find a marketing partner who understands how to communicate to the Boomers and how to adapt to their needs, wants and expectations as they quickly become the new kids on the block at retirement communities across the nation. We do that through the power of story – and what a generational story they have! These are individuals who served in Vietnam, protested against the war in Vietnam, marched for Civil Rights, women’s right’s and changed the entire landscape of the country in the process. We tell those stories as a way of introducing prospective residents to their future neighbors and friends. There’s a human element to our marketing that sets us apart. We’re not into plasticky marketing. We’re into telling authentic stories and sharing moments of authentic joy. Moving to a retirement community is one of the biggest decisions someone can make in their lives and the sales cycle is one of the longest. We’re there as a partner to guide our clients through each step of that journey as they try to become “home” for a senior or seniors.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I just celebrated my 20th year in Kansas City and it has truly become home. I was raised in Southeast Kansas so I will always be a small-town guy at heart. KC is a mid-sized city with a small-town feel. It’s a great place to raise a family – my wife and I have four children – and a place where neighbors still speak to one another and community still means something. We’re united by our shared love of the culture, the barbecue (second to none in this world) and some great sports teams. We’ve really enjoyed the newfound love of women’s soccer brought about by the KC Current, as well as more traditional KC sports like football and our dynastic Chiefs.
It’s difficult to find any true “dislikes” other than perhaps the traffic on I-35. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bellpr.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BELLPRMKC
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56400642
