David A. Garner
Hey there!

I'm David A. Garner

Editor, Digital Analyst & Web Developer

  • Age 33
  • E-mail david@vonwalland.com
  • Academic Interests 20th- and 21st-Century American Literature, Postcolonialism, Jewish Studies, Critical Race Studies, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Aesthetics, Marxism, Critical Theory, and Literary Theory
  • Religious Affiliation Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA)
  • Hobbies Fishing, Television Connoisseur, Grilling
  • From Knoxville, Tennessee

Download Resume

I’m David A. Garner, and my interests converge on philosophy, theology, literature, and the Internet. In a world of “fake news” and “echo chambers,” where do we find authority, methodology, dialogue, and political change? More importantly, to what extent does literature (re-)direct history, politics, and discourse in general? I recently completed a Master of Arts at the University of Chicago in religion and literature. I’m also an editor for The Other Journal, where we are currently developing a voice for the Christian Left. Before starting school, I was the Director of Digital Marketing at BigWheel, a marketing agency in Knoxville, Tennessee, where I helped clients with digital advertising, analytics, and content marketing.

Education

2017–2019

Master of Arts in Religion and Literature

University of Chicago

2005–2009

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy & German Cultural Studies

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Professional Skills

Python
PHP
MySQL
JavaScript
JQuery
HTML & CSS
WordPress
Drupal
Magento
Shopify
Joomla
Expression Engine
SalesForce
SugarCRM
Pardot
Marketo
HubSpot
Act-On
Google Analytics
Google AdWords
Microsoft Ad Network
Facebook

Portfolio

Pershing Yoakley & Associates, P.C.

Digital Marketing

Pershing Yoakley & Associates, P.C.

Digital Marketing

Company Description

Pershing, Yoakley & Associates, P.C. (PYAPC), is one of the top-ten largest private-held healthcare consulting and accounting firms. With services ranging from healthcare to banking to tax, PYAPC requested all the digital tools at BigWheel’s disposal.

Services Rendered

  • PPC management
  • Customer relationship management system (CRM) implementation, integration & consulting
  • Marketing automation implementation & consulting
  • Search engine optimization
  • Social media
  • Content marketing
  • Custom web & sales analytics

Results

  • Overall traffic increased 46%.
  • Organic search engine traffic increased 44%.
  • Blog traffic increased 50%.
  • Organic search engine traffic to blog increased 57%.
  • Average monthly leads increased 21%.

Buddy Gregg Motorhomes

Digital Marketing

Buddy Gregg Motorhomes

Digital Marketing

Company Description

Buddy Gregg Motorhomes is one of the largest RV dealerships in the Southeast. The dealer sells RVs ranging from $50,000 fifth-wheels to $500,000 motorhomes. After being disappointed by another agency, Buddy Gregg contracted BigWheel to increase leads and improve sales.

Services Rendered

  • Lead generation
  • Custom web & sales analytics
  • Customer relationship management system (CRM) integration and consulting
  • Search engine advertising
  • Display & remarketing advertising
  • Search engine optimization

Results

  • Increased overall web traffic by 34%.
  • Increased overall leads by 19%.
  • Increased organic search engine traffic by 30%.
  • Increased organic search engine leads by 50%.
  • Increased PPC leads by 65%.
  • Increased sales by 26%.

Toyota Knoxville

Digital Marketing

Toyota Knoxville

Digital Marketing

Company Description

Toyota Knoxville was the largest Toyota dealership in Knoxville. The company received numerous leads but suffered from poor closing rates. The client asked BigWheel (at the time, Bluegill Creative) to capture higher quality leads and help filter out poor leads for sales personnel.

Services Rendered

  • PPC management
  • Customer relationship management system (CRM) integration and consulting
  • Custom web & sales analytics

Results

  • Traffic increased 35%, which was 669% above Dealer.com’s United States Dealer Benchmark.
  • Average time on site increased 17%,46.5% above benchmark.
  • Leads increased 156%, 230% above benchmark.
  • Produced a sevenfold return on PPC investment.

Premier Transportation

Digital Marketing

Premier Transportation

Digital Marketing

Company Description

Premier Transportation, LLC, provides group motor coach and shuttle charters to companies, schools, tour agencies, athletics teams, military groups, churches, and more across the southeast. With three locations in East Tennessee, the company intended to expand its business by having the largest digital footprint in the group-charter market.

Services Rendered

  • PPC management
  • Search engine optimization
  • Social media strategy
  • Advanced web analytics

Results

  • Delivered social media strategy outlining goals, KPIs, demographics, messaging, creative, and competitive analysis.
  • Drafted monthly content calendars.
  • Increased web traffic by 34%.
  • Increased overall leads by 73%.
  • Increased organic search engine traffic by 77%.
  • Increased organic search engine leads by 105%.

Concrete Polishing Solutions

Digital Marketing

Concrete Polishing Solutions

Digital Marketing

Company Description

Concrete Polishing Solutions manufacturers and sells cordless, gas-powered concreting polishing equipment along with other polishing tools and chemicals. In addition to conducting more business with distributors across the country, the client wished to improve direct sales to construction companies and contractors.

Services Rendered

  • PPC management
  • Search engine optimization
  • Advanced web & sales analytics

Results

  • Average monthly leads doubled.
  • Overall traffic increased 27%.
  • Organic search engine traffic increased 39%.
  • Paid search traffic increased 16%.

ATC Driveaway

Digital Marketing

ATC Driveaway

Digital Marketing

Company Description

ATC Driveaway moved high-power and expensive vehicles for manufacturers and construction companies across state lines. With little customer diversity, ATC sought the help of BigWheel to expand its client base.

Services Rendered

  • PPC management
  • Customer relationship management system (CRM) implementation, integration & consulting
  • Email marketing
  • Search engine optimization
  • Social media
  • Content marketing
  • Advanced web & sales analytics

Results

  • Organic search engine traffic increased ninefold.
  • Page views increased 700%.
  • Target organic search engine keyword rankings improved, on average, 65 positions in Google and 74 in Bing.

Work Experience

2013–Present

The Other Journal

Assistant Editor

  • Assisting with website management for the publication in addition to programming custom functionality and developing a new website.
  • Editing author submissions with the managing editor for compliance with the publication’s style guidelines and the Chicago Manual of Style.
  • Working with executive editor to market and distribute journal with emerging advertising media and adding new advertising revenue for publication.
  • Managing other publication tasks: coordinating interviews, organizing subscriptions, and implementing new technologies (e.g., new advertising platform for website).
2017–Present

BigWheel

Independent Contractor

  • Assisting with website development and digital marketing.
  • Providing support with server administration and email server maintenance.
2018–2018

University of Chicago Press

Independent Contractor

  • Building and coding of a WordPress website for the Press’ Silk Roads Book Series (design provided by a third-party contractor).
  • Writing and running Python scripts to organize the Press’ anthropology books on the Press’ main website.
  • Collecting and organizing the contact information for anthropology professors across the web with Python programs and MySQL databases.
2011–2017

BigWheel

Director of Digital Marketing

  • Developing, implementing, and overseeing all digital marketing efforts for clients, including but not limited to blogging and content creation, media purchasing and advertising (search, social, display, remarketing, and retargeting), search engine optimization, social media, web development, marketing automation, and other digital communications.
  • Performing in-depth data analysis and reporting for clients’ web marketing performance, focusing on key performance indicators provided by the client.
  • Programming websites to achieve client goals: custom functionality, conversion rate optimization, customer relationship management/marketing automation integration, social media integration, etc.
  • Drafting, writing, and editing content calendars (including white papers, e-books, blog posts, social media posts, etc.) for clients; writing then circulating content by means of web sites, email newsletters and alerts, social media, advertisements, and other digital media.
2010–2011

Von Walland Writing & Marketing

Owner, Freelancer

  • Provided copywriting, social media, and search engine optimization services to clients.
  • Managed digital media purchasing and advertising for client campaigns.
  • Reported and analyzed web data on clients’ key performance indicators.
2010–2010

Long, Ragsdale & Waters, P.C.

Legal Secretary

  • Assisted two Attorneys in commercial and transactional litigation.
  • Drafted, wrote, edited, and compiled precise legal documentation for property deeds, civil lawsuits, business charters, and commercial organization.
  • Researched transactional history, business credibility, contact information, account summaries, and various other categories.
2005–2008

Sports Information Department at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Men’s Swimming and Diving Media Contact, Assistant SID

  • Drafted, developed, and updated UT Men’s Swimming and Media Guide.
  • Coordinated swimming events, served as primary liaison for media representatives and opposing coaches, and responsible for writing 2-3 press releases per week while also coordinating and performing interviews with coaches and athletes at football, basketball, and swimming events.
  • Provided editing assistance for sections of the UT Football Media Guide, and served as UT media representative at all football and basketball events, provided statistical backup at football games, updated scoring and statistical information to various sporting networks at basketball games, and analyzed various current and historical statistics for press releases and media guides.
  • Initiated database project to log Sports Information photograph archives into software program.

My Interests

In my free time, I enjoy reading, binge-watching television, and having a drink with the missus. Here are some other things I like to do.

  • Fishing
  • Television Connoisseur
  • Grilling
  • Reading
  • Politics
  • Theology
  • Camping

Contact Me

Feel free to contact me

  • E-mail david (at) vonwalland (dot) com
  • Skype david.a.garner
  • Address Chicago, Illinois