Strategy first, creative second, results always.
STEP 1: Communication planning & strategy
Your partnership with us begins with a purposefully designed communication plan, a blueprint for achieving your goals. It’s the why and the how and the who—the actionable steps that produce real organizational results.
STEP 2: creative assets
Our team develops creative assets that inspire and engage your customers or ignite and motivate your employees. Digital marketing could include social media marketing, search engine optimization, or PPC. Traditional advertising could include radio, print, or outdoor. Most times we use a mix of both. See what we can do.
STEP 3: analysis & results
We deploy, we analyze, and we adapt. Our advertising agency operates on data—transparency, results analysis, and data-based recommendations. If something isn’t working, we’ll tell you. If something is working great, we’ll let you know. If something could work better, we’ll suggest how to get there.
Client Testimonials
“Strateligent was able to take my vision and transform it into instructional material and sales collateral that is clear, informational, and visually stunning. I’m thrilled with the end result. We’re now able to provide teachers with even more useful tools and classroom resources to create a culture of inclusion, improve students’ mental health, and prevent school violence.”
—Ben Rudrud, founder of RIPL
“Our values are the heartbeat of everything we do—they are used in everything from job descriptions and onboarding materials to social media and patient interactions. And Strateligent not only helped us define those, but they did it by making us part of the process. They aren’t a typical agency that would just put us in a generalized healthcare box and say, ‘This is what you are. This is what you believe. This is what you feel.’”
—Gretchen Youngren, executive director of development and communications, Samaritan Healthcare, Moses Lake, WA
“Strateligent’s public relations expertise and their ability to switch gears quickly helped us communicate critical COVID-19 safety information, quickly. The airport staff had more time to focus on implementing cleaning and other safety precautions, and we could keep our community informed of our efforts to ensure safe air travel. Strateligent’s communication assistance undoubtedly helped get ticket sales back up after the initial shutdowns.”
—Steven Wright, director of Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport
“Over the years, Strateligent has successfully transformed the narrative so that people see Lake Mille Lacs for more than just walleye fishing. Our long-standing relationship makes it easy for us to work together, strategize, and continue to position the area as a top destination for outdoor recreation.”
—Tina Chapman, executive director of Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council, Garrison, MN
“The entire Strateligent team feels like an extension of our marketing department. Aaron and Cory are fantastic to work with on videos and are extremely skilled at what they do. We are always impressed with the results and we receive compliments on our videos and commercials. The stroke video (sponsored through a MN Department of Health grant) had many moving parts and was a fun project for all staff involved. MDH is certain to be impressed with the angles and drone footage captured, overall content, and video quality for use statewide.”
— Diane Meyer, marketing and communications manager, Glacial Ridge Health System, Glenwood, MN
“Rebranding during a pandemic presented many obstacles for us, however Strateligent readily removed many of these obstacles by being accessible to our team through Zoom. The process was seamless! We completed over 30 hours of individual meetings with staff via Zoom, as well as many additional meetings with our Executive Team. Strateligent led us through a process of redefining who we are. It was fun, very creative, and authentic to our area. Aaron and his team provided extraordinary support all while working remotely. Our outcomes have been tremendous! Thank you, Strateligent!”
—Dell Anderson, executive director of Renew, Moses Lake, WA
Meet your team.
Our goal is to accomplish your goals. Our advertising agency is a perfect blend of storytellers, project managers, copywriters, graphic designers, web development wizards, social media gurus, video production specialists, and digital marketing strategists. We have talent in the deep end of creative, strategy, and project management. Not only can we envision it, we’ve built a proven process to deliver it.
Aaron W. Hautala
President, Creative Director
With more than 25 years of positioning businesses, organizations, and communities front and center, Aaron uses his communication experience to create identities that are simple to understand, easy to buy, and hard to leave. He is passionate about helping others deliver powerful communication using a proven process he personally developed—including leadership coaching and consulting that has rebuilt and improved internal cultures and strengthened in-house marketing teams. Aaron has been featured on MSNBC’s “Your Business” and recognized internationally for award-winning strategic marketing, public speaking, and community advocacy.
Beth Hautala
Vice President
A visionary by nature, Beth has a way of seeing into the future and planning for what has yet to be. From co-founding Strateligent® to publishing her two novels from Penguin Random House/Philomel (her third to be released in 2022 from Penguin Random House/Viking), Beth, together with Aaron, provides the leadership and cultural bedrock behind Strateligent’s vision, mission, and goals.
Heidi Lake
Project Manager
Whether it’s a new or existing project, a wild idea, or a friendly advocate, Heidi is our go-to gal—lead wrangler, question-answerer, and scheduler. With a journalism degree and more than 15 years of media, copywriting, and PR experience, Heidi is also SEO certified and SEM qualified. She ensures our client projects are accomplished as they were intended, on time, on budget, and in good order.
Jodi Schwen
Copywriter / Social Media Specialist
Words have been Jodi’s passion since she crafted her first story as a child under an evergreen on the shores of Gull Lake. She brings more than 30 years of experience in writing and editing and two degrees in communication to wield her copywriting pen for the Strateligent content development team.
Steph Swanson
Copywriter / Digital Specialist
Steph has a knack for storytelling. Whether it’s informational or motivational, she enjoys writing content that sparks change. With experience in copywriting and technical writing, and a degree in marketing communication, Steph is skilled in crafting simple, memorable copy that gets people to think, feel, and act.
Cory Johnson
Graphic Designer / Video Production Specialist
Cory has always enjoyed art, as well as the creative workings of video game technology. When he discovered that graphic design and digital media combined computers with art, choosing his career became easy. Cory is a licensed drone operator with an exceptional, intuitive ability to render video equipment for good.
Emalee Hedberg
Graphic Designer / Website Design Specialist
Creating visual solutions and fresh design—that’s Emalee’s wheelhouse. Her eye for detail in print and web infuses projects with effective fonts, colors, and images, bringing any concept to life. She has a natural desire for hand-drawn, raw art and the beauty of form. No matter the product, Emalee knows how to make potential buyers swoon.
Awards & recognition.
- American Advertising Awards (ADDY): Silver, Gold & Best of Show
- NTCA (The Rural Broadband Association) TeleChoice National Award – Complete Marketing Campaign
- Bike Tourism Destination Award, People For Bikes
- You Made It Happen Award, Cuyuna Lakes Chamber of Commerce
- Explore Minnesota, Travel Marketing Award of Excellence, Lake Mille Lacs
- Top 40 Under 40. Prairie Business Magazine – Aaron Hautala
- Central Lakes College Top 75 Alumni – Aaron Hautala
- Advocate of the Year – Aaron Hautala, Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Crew – Presented by The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
- Minnesota State Parks and Trails, State Park Decal Photo – Aaron Hautala
- Minnesota Book of the Year, The Opposite of Cold – photography by Aaron Hautala
- The Christopher Award, The Ostrich and Other Lost Things – written by Beth Hautala
Our work family.
The Strateligent team is made up of passionate creatives who collaborate to design, produce, and communicate with purpose. We enjoy our work. We enjoy each other. And we like to have fun! Check out our values to see how we improve the future for our clients, our communities, and ourselves.
