Writer / Kara Kavensky
Photographer / Brian Brosmer
When Susan Marshall originally shared her idea with Shawn Herring, he instinctively knew she was on to something. Both former ExactTarget employees and both marketing experts, the disruptive digital marketing concept Marshall presented was attractive. Circling in Dustin McCormick, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, a partnership was formed, and along with backing from investors, including former Salesforce CEO Scott McCorkle, the torch was lit.
Marshall the founder and CEO, had the vision for simplifying marketers’ lives by providing the technology and a network of experts to help businesses acquire new customers through digital marketing. The technology element of Torchlite® is a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform that enables businesses to execute digital marketing campaigns and extend their team through a network of certified experts and a platform that manages workflow, collaboration and reporting.
Torchlite® utilizes a vetted network of digital marketing experts. They aggregate and analyze data that drive their customer’s business, seeking tailored solutions for their clients.
“We take a quality approach, not quantity approach and base the experience upon what our customer needs,” Herring says of the Torchlite® platform.
“Given Shawn’s extensive marketing experience and his passion for the Torchlite® company culture, which is reflected in the results Torchlite® achieves for their clients, I am excited for their future,” says Trent Decatur, CEO of East West Group.
For about the past year, Torchlite® and Inside INdiana Business have worked together on social media initiatives focused on the Inside Indiana Business platform.
“Shawn has a great capacity to understand your pain, quickly come up with a solution, and then communicate it in a way that everyone understands,” said Gerry Dick, president of Indianapolis-based Grow Indiana Media Ventures, LLC. “He is a great combination of tech-savvy entrepreneur and problem solver.”
“With Torchlite®, a client can build their own marketing campaigns in our dashboard and expand their marketing team to complement their needs,” Herring says. “We think this will become a really big deal.”
Herring may be right. Capitalizing on the gig economy within the digital marketing realm makes them the Uber of this space. Since inception 18 months ago, Torchlite® has grown to 25 employees in-house and more than 250 vetted marketing professionals ready to service the needs of its customers.
“Each client needs specific elements to complement their existing staff,” Herring says. “We work with our customers to figure out the problem they wish to solve and build a team around the customer to help create the optimal solution.”
Torchlite® offices are located on Massachusetts Avenue, downtown. Herring and his family live in Center Grove. Herring’s wife, Amy, is a Center Grove High School graduate.
“Center Grove is exactly what we want out of a community: good schools, good community, and amazing extra curricular activities for our kids,” Herring says. “We have great neighbors and can’t see our family anywhere else.”
Please visit torchlite.com for more information.