Digital Marketing Expertise Built on 25+ Years of Web Evolution
Welcome to Convergency Digital Marketing. I’m Shawn Hartley, a digital marketing professional with over 25 years of experience navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape. My journey in this industry began in 1995—practically the dawn of the commercial internet—and has spanned multiple technological revolutions, from the early static web pages to today’s complex, data-driven marketing ecosystems.
What sets my approach apart is the depth and breadth of experience I bring to every project. Having worked across agency leadership, entrepreneurial ventures, and hands-on development roles, I understand digital marketing not just as a set of tactics, but as an integrated system where technical knowledge, creative thinking, and business strategy converge.
This page shares both the evolution of Convergency as a brand and my personal journey through the digital revolution. It’s a story of continuous adaptation and learning—qualities that remain at the core of how I approach digital marketing challenges today.
The Convergency Journey
Convergency.com began as my freelance brand in the late 1990s, serving as the digital face of my web development services when most businesses were still debating whether they needed an online presence at all.
As the digital landscape evolved, so did Convergency. From 2001 to around 2016, I shifted the brand’s focus to domain trading and investment, managing a portfolio of hundreds of valuable domains during the internet’s rapid expansion phase.
After this period, Convergency returned to its roots as my freelance digital marketing brand, before formally becoming Convergency Digital Marketing in 2022. This transformation mirrors my own professional journey—continually adapting to the changing digital environment while building on decades of experience.
This evolution gives Convergency a unique perspective. Having experienced the web from its commercial beginnings through multiple transformations, I bring historical context to current digital challenges that few others can offer.
My Digital Journey
My adventure in digital began in 1995, when the web was still in its infancy. While most businesses were debating whether they needed a website at all, I was already building them—giving my clients a critical early advantage in what would become the digital revolution.
In 1996, I founded the Interactive Department at Bozell’s Omaha office, part of what was then the 13th largest advertising agency worldwide. This early exposure to enterprise-level advertising and marketing gave me invaluable insights into how traditional marketing principles translate to digital environments.
Throughout the early 2000s, I expanded my expertise at Corporate Three Design as a full-stack developer (before that term even existed), managing web development, server infrastructure, and digital marketing campaigns for diverse clients.
In 2004, I co-founded AdPulp.com, an advertising industry trade publication, serving as Publisher until 2016. This venture deepened my understanding of content strategy and publishing while keeping me connected to broader industry trends and thought leadership.
After a brief period exploring new opportunities, I returned to Corporate Three Design in 2008 as Vice President and Director of Digital Marketing, where I spent the next 14 years building and leading the agency’s digital practice. During this tenure, I managed both agency operations and web development teams supporting over 30 clients, launched paid campaigns managing budgets exceeding $25,000 monthly, and developed digital marketing strategies that generated millions in revenue for clients. I also led a complete technological transformation of the agency’s development approach, significantly improving profitability and performance.
In 2015, while maintaining my leadership role at Corporate Three Design, I launched LargeMountain, a WordPress hosting company. This venture allowed me to create a managed WordPress hosting platform that delivers fast, reliable hosting through a global network of cloud instances. By strategically deploying websites closer to clients’ target audiences, I was able to provide significantly improved load times and reliability—technical expertise that continues to benefit my digital marketing clients today.
Since 2022, I’ve focused fully on providing personalized digital marketing services, bringing together this wealth of experience under the Convergency Digital Marketing brand in 2024.
The Adaptability Advantage
This diverse background across agencies, studios, and my own ventures has given me something unique: the ability to see both the forest and the trees of digital marketing. I understand how each piece—from web development to social media, from technical SEO to content strategy—fits into a cohesive whole.
My cross-discipline experience allows me to:
- Identify which digital strategies will truly move the needle for your specific business
- Integrate different platforms and approaches for maximum impact
- Adapt quickly as digital landscapes evolve
- Translate technical concepts into business results you can understand
Perhaps most importantly, I’ve seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t across different industries. I’ve managed campaigns that generated over $2 million in revenue for clients and built websites that serve hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors. I’ve optimized websites to achieve authority status in their niches and architected hosting solutions with five-nines reliability.
Collaborative Approach
While I personally lead every project, I maintain a network of trusted specialists cultivated throughout my 25+ year career. When a project requires additional expertise, I can assemble an all-star team tailored to your specific needs.
This approach gives you the best of both worlds: the personal attention and accountability of working directly with an experienced professional, combined with the capability to scale up resources when your project demands it—all without the overhead of a large agency.
My Toolbox
Throughout my career, I’ve become proficient with numerous technologies and platforms:
- Digital Marketing: Google Ads, Facebook Ads, SEO, Content Strategy, Analytics
- Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Python, WordPress
- Analytics: Google Analytics, Looker Studio, Hotjar, Fathom Analytics
- Infrastructure: Server Management, Cloudflare, Database Administration
- Marketing Technology: CRM systems, Salesforce, Marketo, Hubspot
This technical foundation means I don’t just understand the strategic side of digital marketing—I understand how it all works under the hood.
Ready to Work Together?
Now that you know a bit about my journey and approach, I’d love to learn about your business challenges and discuss how my experience can help you achieve your digital marketing goals.
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