Ben Butler, APR
Founder & Client Services Director
I’m an accredited, top-under-40 marketing communications professional and the founder and head of client success here at Top Hat.
I’ve served as a marketing and PR Guy at a motorsports complex, the National Vice President of Public Relations for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Director of Inbound Partnerships at an inbound marketing agency (GuavaBox) and Head of Communications at a SaaS startup (DoInbound).
I leverage all of those experiences to lead the charge here.
Ever since the beginning of Top Hat, I’ve heard horror stories from our clients, their friends, my friends, prospects and the general public about their experiences with agencies
Ever since the beginning of Top Hat, I’ve heard horror stories from our clients, their friends, my friends, prospects and the general public about their experiences with agencies
I’ve labeled these kinds of experiences as the “Sins of Agency Past.” Some of the common ones are clients getting bounced from account manager to account manager. Or the agency going dark when it matters most. Or agencies not presenting a clear roadmap for success or the step-by-step process for achieving any piece of work. Overall, it’s been my experience that the Sins of Agency Past are prevalent and happen more than anyone would like to admit or imagine.
My vision for Top Hat has, and aggressively continues to be, that we provide a truly refreshing and fulfilling experience for our clients. Simply, I want us to be the complete opposite of any agency you’ve ever met (especially assuming you’ve been burned in past).
At the beginning of every relationship, as head of client success, I lay out the exact journey we’ll go on from start to finish. We have a specific process driving every solution we provide with documentation fully covering every step. I directly address points up front that if left unchecked could and will cause conflict. I set clear expectations. I continue managing the relationship through the life of the project without bouncing our clients to someone else on the team abruptly. When our clients call, I answer. When they email, I respond as soon as I humanly can. When they ask a question, I tell them the absolute truth, even if it’s ugly. And most importantly, I truly listen the needs of our clients and recommend the truest solution there is.
The Top Hat agenda isn’t to “sell” you something that will “make us money.” Our mission is to provide a roadmap to communications success that will impact your bottom line in a real way.
Seeing CLIENTS fulfill their dreams and succeed? There’s absolutely no better feeling in the world.
A lot of people ask me what drives me in this business. Obviously, I love marketing communications, but there’s something greater than that that energizes me day to day.
This sounds rather cliché, but I am so blessed to be able to work with and guide our diverse clientele through the journey. I get to build close relationships with inspiring people like Santé Ministries’ Kate McCord, who served as a Christian humanitarian aid in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2013. Or Jon Hetts—an adventurous traveler who launched a luxury Mongolian cashmere brand. Or the ambitious, high-energy team behind Cycletique. Or Lord Hobo Brewing, the fastest growing regional craft brewery in the United States. It’s my favorite part of the job. Everyone has their own story and their own dream they’re pursuing. It’s an honor to be along to help them get there faster.
Seeing them fulfill their dreams and succeed? There’s absolutely no better feeling in the world.
I’m obsessed with craft beer and craft coffee.
As soon as we meet, there are two things you’ll quickly realize about me. I’m obsessed with craft beer and craft coffee.
I’m that guy you’ll find cramming himself like a sardine into a local brewery for the release of a new beer. I’m that guy you’ll find buying every last bean of my coffee from the local roasters, grinding the beans by the serving, which I make in either the at-home or office Chemex brewing system.
Fun fact: I use an app called Untappd to keep track and log every unique beer I enjoy. Currently, I’ve tracked and enjoyed over 1,100 unique kinds of beers from all over the world.