OUR STORY
Smirk New Media was launched in July 2010 as the first independent digital agency focused on social media marketing in Oklahoma City. We built our agency from the ground up on great work, starting with content strategy insights, Twitter connections, $0 in business funding, and a $100 laptop.
Smirk joined the front lines in educating the market, pioneering new web strategies and advocating that every modern business needs a CMO-level digital strategist to guide marketing efforts.
Our commitment to being a different kind of agency, developing digital-first strategies and fostering long-term client relationships helped our digital marketing team grow steadily. We developed into a full-service provider with hundreds of projects completed in digital strategy, social, ads, SEO, web design, and creative services.
OUR STORY
Smirk New Media was launched in July 2010 as the first independent digital agency focused on social media marketing in Oklahoma City. We built our agency from the ground up on great work, starting with content strategy insights, Twitter connections, $0 in business funding, and a $100 laptop. Smirk joined the front lines in educating the market, pioneering new web strategies and advocating that every modern business needs a CMO-level digital strategist to guide marketing efforts. Our commitment to being a different kind of agency, developing digital-first strategies and fostering long-term client relationships helped our digital marketing team grow steadily. We developed into a full-service provider with hundreds of projects completed in digital strategy, social, ads, SEO, web design and creative services.
2010
SMIRK LAUNCHED AS FIRST INDEPENDENT SOCIAL MEDIA AGENCY IN OKC
2011 is a pivotal year for our start-up. Founder Mike Koehler went from solo consultant to a two-person team when Allie Carrick joined Smirk as an intern. In the summer, Smirk rolled out its first brand tagline: “Words on the Web.” On December 14, Smirk partnered with Pops Route 66 for social media management.
2011
May 9: Oklahoman Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, is profiled by The New Yorker after winning four Bloggie Awards
December: Nielsen declares Facebook the second most visited website in the United States
2012
SMIRK MOVES INTO FIRST BRICK & MORTAR OFFICE IN AUTOMOBILE ALLEY
In the spring, Smirk moves into its first brick and mortar office, a basement space in Automobile Alley lovingly referred to as the “Smirk Bunker.” In the summer, Kevin DeShazo becomes Smirk’s first social media strategist. On September 16, call the cops — it’s the first Smirkstock.
On March 22, Mike is a featured speaker at OKC’s second annual M3 Marketing Conference. In the fall, Allie is a founding member of a local professional group for digital marketers, OKC Social. On December 3, Stephanie Bice, Smirk’s then-director of business development, declares her candidacy for Oklahoma State Senate.
2013
September: Facebook launches Ad Analytics and Boosts, allowing pages to reach and target more users and get detailed analytics
November 6: Twitter goes public
2014
SMIRK MOVES INTO NEW OFFICE IN THE KAMP'S 1910 BUILDING
On January 15, Mike is a featured speaker at the NCAA National Convention. On April 9, Smirk integrates Slack into daily team communication, ending the world’s longest group text message thread. In November, Smirk expands its service offerings to include SEO and digital advertising services. On November 2, Smirk partners with Downtown OKC, Inc., providing social media management and consulting for multiple downtown districts. At Smirk’s annual Christmas party, Mike receives the greatest gift of all time, “Social Media for Dummies.”
2015
February 26: Black/Blue, White/Gold Dress
May 19: Google adds Tweets to mobile search results
August 27: Facebooks hits one billion users
2016
SMIRK WINS FIRST OF THREE STRAIGHT AWARDS AT THE AMA MARKETINIS
At the turn of the new year, the first Smirkstorm is held at R&J Supper Club. Later that spring, Smirk wins its first award for best social media and digital campaigns at the American Marketing Association OKC Chapter’s Marketinis, kicking off a three-year winning streak. The “Smirky Turkeys” also make their first bowling appearance at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids’ Sake event. Led by Kevin DeShazo, Smirk begins integrating Giant Worldwide’s “5 Voices System” into company culture in May.
In January, the Oklahoma City Dodgers partner with Smirk to develop the organization’s digital strategy. On May 9, Mike and Allie make their business partnership official, announcing new roles: Mike to focus on vision, partnership and business development and Allie takes over running the day-to-day business, team and execution. On November 6, Kailey Emerson is promoted to senior strategist, overseeing premier client projects and Smirk’s content creators. In December, Smirk is an official local partner for the Grow With Google event in OKC. With days left in 2017, Smirk finalizes a new partnership with Sonic Drive-In.
2017
May 3: Facebook adds reactions
April 20: The IAB reports 2016 was the first time mobile ad spending had overtaken desktop spending, and the first time digital surpassed TV ad spend
September 26: Twitter increases the tweet character limit to 280
2018
SMIRK BECOMES A FULL-SERVICE DIGITAL AGENCY, ADDING CREATIVE SERVICES
2018 is the most momentous year yet for Smirk. Our team continues to grow, adding three new members to its full-time roster. In February, Smirkers advise all social media management clients new strategies are needed following Facebook’s algorithm changes. On June 19, Smirk hosts its semi-annual team retreat at Finish Line Tower; highlights include announcing new visual services and premium improvements to the client experience. On July 1, Smirk becomes a full-service digital agency, adding creative services, including branding, motion design, graphics, and video production. On October 8, Smirk rolls out new branding and an original website experience called “The Smirk Works.”
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