Meet Benjamin Tarver of Better With Ben

Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Tarver.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Benjamin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all started with wanting to come back to Denver after being away for a long time, chasing different opportunities. I figured that finishing school back in the city where it all started for me would create even more opportunities in a place I loved most, and allow me to stay put for a while. Little did I know, however, that it wasn’t the piece of paper that would open the door for those opportunities – it was the experience.

I applied for a position at Met Media, a student-run media organization that produces its own TV station, radio station, newspaper, and arts/literary magazine. The position was doing ad sales – selling ad space to support the production of each entity – and I figured it was an easy way to pay for classes and have a job in something fun. A few months into working there, the organization hired a new Assistant Director and we began to work closely together. The more we worked together, the more she realized that my passion and talents weren’t in sales (in which I had most of my previous experience). That’s where my actual career began to take shape.

Instead of selling ad space, we created a grassroots marketing team that would not only promote Met Media but the companies and sponsors that paid for ad space to support the organization. I started writing the scripts for radio ads/underwriting, creating social media strategies, and developing content for websites. I even started my own radio program on the station, where I produced even more of my own content. Finally, I could make money doing something I absolutely loved – being creative.

It didn’t take long (in fact, I wasn’t even technically done with school yet) before I was recommended to an agency that was growing an internal content/marketing team. There, I would focus on writing for and marketing clients’ websites. I had never taken a marketing class in my life previous to all of this experience, but it’s always been second-nature to me. Perhaps I didn’t know technical terms at the time, but I knew what to do and how to do it. Before long, I was speaking in front of business professionals through the Better Business Bureau, giving tips and tricks to CEOs and marketing teams that I had learned through my own experience.

After growing internal marketing teams, winning a few awards, and seeing companies grow through my creative marketing efforts, I knew this was my calling and I knew that any strategy, brand, or company would simply be “Better With Ben.”

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I hate to say it, but yes, it’s actually been a relatively smooth road – only because I’ve been so open to where each road would lead, trying new things, and then from there creating my own path. I think of my story almost like hitchhiking at first with no real direction, just to get somewhere, but then gaining my experience by being everywhere I could, learning everything I could, and meeting everyone I could.

To me, marketing and content are all about the connections and stories you’ve made and how they relate to each other. I’ve been so grateful for the connections and stories that have not only shaped me as a human being but as a business professional.

Please tell us about Better With Ben.
“Better With Ben” is my holistic (and proven) approach to marketing – telling a story through all types of content. It’s everything I’ve learned by doing it myself, grown organically by trying new things and perfected through the heat of the fire that is agency life. I’m known for my stories, my connections/ability to talk to people, my work ethic, and my creativity.

What sets me apart from others is that I make marketing and content feel organic – that these stories are actually shared by a human. Even when I was in sales, I never wanted to make a sale – I wanted to make a connection, and I do that through stories.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I think I would’ve started much earlier, so that I’d be even further in my career at my age but then the more I think about it, I wouldn’t change anything at all because that previous experience is truly valuable and unique. It’s what has made me who I am instead of having my career shape that.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4535 East 14th Avenue
• Website: https://BetterWithBen.com
• Email: benreallybusy@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bendoingstuff
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenTweetinStuff

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