Every business has a story. And once upon a time, back in the 1990s, the early roots of image.works were just starting to form in a successful insurance marketing firm that was owned and operated by Mark Whalen.
“My bank was impressed by our marketing materials for independent insurance agencies, and we were asked to do their annual report, newsletter and direct mailers,” said Whalen, president of image.works. “It got me thinking there were probably a lot of financial institutions that could benefit from our services.”
A new chapter begins
Whalen started image.works in 1998, later selling the insurance marketing firm to focus resources on the fast-growing new business among banks and credit unions. Financial institutions of all sizes were highly receptive to image.works’ unique business model of free copywriting, unlimited proofs and fast turnaround – all with transparent pricing and no contracts.
Another exciting twist
The story took another exciting twist when five years ago, image.works identified and branched out to a second market with similar needs: healthcare organizations.
“Our clients not only love the way we do business, but also that we specialize in financial and healthcare industries,” Whalen said. “We know their marketing needs and language inside and out.”
Staying on the same page as our clients
Over the years, image.works has adapted to keep pace with changing needs and technology by introducing programs such as SmartTrack, onboarding and cross-media marketing. The most recent addition is marketing automation, an inexpensive, powerful platform that allows our clients to track customers or members who visit their website.
“With marketing automation, once people click in to the website or visit a landing page, they’re always trackable – plus they start receiving ‘drip” emails targeted to their interests,” Whalen said. “Our clients can see exactly where and how long visitors are on their web site so they can follow up accordingly.”
Growth for happily ever after
The need to change over time also included a move to a bigger building to accommodate our growing staff. We now have a talented team of 12 graphic designers, six sales representatives, five copywriters, three marketing project coordinators and an office manager.
Today, image.works has a presence in all 50 states and has grown every year, cultivating a strong and loyal following. We’re excited to see what happens next in our success story – and yours!