SIM Partners

SIM Partners, founded in 2006 by Jon Schepke, established itself as a provider of location-based marketing technology from its base in Chicago. The firm developed a specialized digital marketing suite to enhance digital results for enterprise brands at a local level.

The core of its offering was the Velocity platform, a cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution designed to automate and scale local marketing efforts. Velocity provided clients with tools for location data management, ensuring that a brand's information was accurate and accessible across search engines, maps, and GPS systems. It also featured a content management system to automate the creation of location-specific webpages and social media content, and an analytics platform to track patient or customer activity and inform local strategies. This technology was built to address the increasing number of 'near me' searches by consumers, helping businesses with multiple physical locations convert local searches into store visits.

The company catered to multi-location enterprise brands across various sectors, including healthcare, insurance, retail, and hospitality. Notable clients included Allstate, Advocate Health Care, U.S. Bank, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. SIM Partners' business model was centered on providing its technology platform to these large businesses to help them acquire and retain customers on a local level. The firm successfully raised $16.1 million in funding over four rounds, with its final Series B round in February 2017 securing $5 million. This financial backing supported the expansion of its operations and platform development. In February 2018, SIM Partners was acquired by Reputation.com, a move aimed at integrating its location-based marketing tools into a broader online reputation management platform. The acquisition brought together directory management, review management, customer surveys, and social media management into a single, integrated solution for large-scale enterprises.

Keywords: location marketing, local SEO, marketing automation, digital marketing suite, location data management, enterprise brands, customer acquisition, SaaS platform, online reputation management, content management system