On media Marketing

Steffen Wildner and Steffen Zimprich not only share the same first name. They also both studied the Master's programme "Entrepreneurship and SME Management" at the University of Siegen and probably the most important thing they have in common: they founded the company on media Marketing Solutions together.

On media is an online marketing agency. With their company, the two founders improve the online presence of other companies. They ensure that companies are found more easily online or that their products or services attract greater attention on the Internet.

The two have divided up the areas of expertise in their company. Steffen Wildner is mainly responsible for SEA marketing and Steffen Zimprich takes care of SEO marketing. "So everyone does their part," explains Wildner.

The co-founders are now represented at various locations. Wildner lives near Frankfurt, where he originally comes from. Zimprich is originally from Cologne, but now lives in Siegen, where the company is also based. On media is a regional company, but the two entrepreneurs are also active outside of Siegen in the Rhine-Main region.

After graduating, the start-up's income was not yet sufficient to live on. As a result, both founders currently have other full-time jobs and no longer run their own online agency to the full extent. They continue to take care of coordination, achieving the company's goals and management. All operational activities are the responsibility of the two employees in Siegen, who have their backs.

Steffen Wildner works for a large pet food manufacturer and is also responsible for the entire online presence, from web development to marketing in the online shop. And Steffen Zimprich also works in marketing for an online company, so the activities of their jobs overlap with their self-employed activities. "You get to see both sides," says Wildner. "You can better assess other companies and create better offers."

In future, the founders and their marketing agency want to further familiarise themselves with the use of social media in order to offer up-to-date services in this area. Placing adverts on social media channels and human resourcing via social media are just two ideas for further development.

How did you come up with the idea of on media and the online marketing agency?

We founded the company with the idea of having a meaningful side job. Steffen and I had the same part-time job in the same company alongside our studies. However, we didn't like the work there, it was always the same boring work and not a meaningful job. This gave rise to the idea of doing something ourselves, something that we would also enjoy. We were interested in marketing. That was in 2013, in the middle of our Master's degree programme, when the ideas became more and more concrete. The company was then officially founded in May 2014.

What attracted you to setting up your own company?

The appeal of setting up your own company lies in the freedom to shape and change things yourself. You can develop and try things out. Of course, you still have to make sure that you make certain progress.

When did you decide to set up your own company?

In the end, when we got the premises from the start-up office. That was the impetus to actively use this office space and to continue working on the start-up. It was also a good time to start up, as we had no financial risk. It was easy to try things out without risking too much and we basically "only" invested time.

What is/was innovative about your company?

When we had the idea to set up the company, we realised that although there were already a number of marketing agencies in Siegen and the surrounding area, they tended to be broadly based, i.e. they offered a full range of services, with online marketing only falling under this category on the side. This means that all areas are only covered to a limited extent. We, on the other hand, have specialised solely in online marketing.

What was the biggest challenge you faced with on media?

There wasn't really one biggest challenge, but many small hurdles. Fortunately, we were already aware of many business and legal aspects from our studies. So we just had to find the right path for us and try to make the right decisions.

To what extent did the university's start-up office support you?

We had regular coaching appointments, which were very useful, and there were many events through which you could build up a network. The start-up office itself also had a lot of contacts that you could benefit from.

What is your advice for young founders?

The important thing is that you enjoy creating things yourself. You have to be able to lead the way and reflect on yourself. In the end, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable with your start-up and that you stand behind it, because then you can work on it with conviction.

Would you set up a company again?

Yes, definitely, because you have built something yourself, achieved something of your own. That gives you a good feeling.

This portrait is based on an interview with Steffen Wildner in June 2020 and was written by Janice Gust.

 

Click here for the start-up's homepage.