Check Out Joe Murphy’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Murphy.

Hi Joe, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started The Real Social Company back in 2002 — long before “social media manager” was even a job title. At the time, I was just helping small businesses in Columbus figure out how to show up online. Most of them didn’t have marketing budgets, but they had passion, and I wanted to make sure people could find them.

It began with late nights coding websites, writing copy by hand, and teaching local owners what SEO even meant. Over time, I realized something simple but powerful — marketing only works when it’s real. People don’t connect with brands; they connect with stories.

As platforms like Facebook and Instagram grew, we leaned into that. We built a team that understood both the human side and the technical side of digital growth. Today, The Real Social Company helps businesses across industries — especially wellness and healthcare — find their authentic voice online.

We’ve grown a lot since those early days, but our philosophy hasn’t changed. Every post, every campaign, every website still comes down to one idea: real people telling real stories. That’s what makes a brand stick — and that’s why we’re still here more than twenty years later.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road — but I wouldn’t trade the journey for anything. When I started The Real Social Company, digital marketing was still the Wild West. There weren’t playbooks, algorithms changed overnight, and every platform spoke a different language. What kept me going back then was the belief that authenticity would always outlast trend-chasing.
As social media exploded, so did the number of “agencies.” Suddenly, everyone with a Canva template and a Wi-Fi connection was calling themselves a social firm. The market got crowded — not necessarily with bad people, but with copy-and-paste strategies that made businesses feel more generic than genuine. Competing in that kind of noise has always been one of our biggest challenges. I had to remind myself and my clients that real results take depth, strategy, and a human touch — things you can’t automate or fake.
Then came the rise of AI. At first, it felt like a tidal wave — tools promising to replace content creators, designers, and strategists overnight. The temptation for the industry was to go fully automated. But I’ve always believed that AI should enhance creativity, not replace it. At The Real Social Company, we learned how to integrate AI for efficiency while keeping the storytelling deeply human. We use it to analyze trends, accelerate workflows, and expand creative possibilities — not to erase the human fingerprint that makes brands real.
There have been other challenges too — burnout in the early years, managing growth responsibly, and staying ahead of constant platform changes. But each obstacle forced us to evolve. It taught me that longevity in this business comes from resilience and reinvention.
So no, it hasn’t been easy. But building something real never is. Every time I see a small business grow because of the story we helped them tell, it reminds me why we started — and why staying “real” in a digital world still matters more than ever.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my core, I’m a creative builder. I’ve spent my career moving between design, technology, education, and storytelling — all roads that eventually led to founding The Real Social Company. What started as a small experiment in helping local businesses grow online became a full-scale digital agency rooted in one belief: authenticity always wins.
We specialize in full-spectrum digital growth — content creation, SEO, branding, web development, and AI-driven strategy — but what we’re truly known for is helping real people tell real stories. I’ve worked across industries, yet I’m most proud of our partnerships in healthcare and wellness. Those are spaces where trust is everything, and we’ve built campaigns that don’t just get clicks — they create community.
Before The Real Social Company, I built creative ventures like TooSquare Magazine, InterZone Coffee House, and PLAID7 Design. Each project taught me how culture, design, and technology intersect. I’ve also taught design and marketing at Ohio University and Zane State College, so education has always been part of my DNA. That background keeps me focused on empowering others — whether it’s a small business owner learning social strategy or a student discovering their creative voice.
What sets us apart is how we blend human creativity with technology. We use AI every day — for research, analysis, and optimization — but never as a substitute for imagination. AI helps us move faster, but empathy gives the work meaning. I think that balance is the future of digital storytelling.
The thing I’m most proud of isn’t an award or a metric — it’s the longevity. More than twenty years in, we’re still growing because we stayed true to what matters: being real. The digital landscape changes daily, but the core of good marketing hasn’t — it’s still about connection, emotion, and trust.
That’s what I do, and that’s what The Real Social Company stands for.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Honestly, I’ve never felt like luck had much to do with anything I’ve built. Everything I’ve done — from The Real Social Company to my creative work as Joey Stardust — has been the result of persistence, late nights, and an almost stubborn refusal to quit when things got hard.
Nothing was ever handed to me. There was no investor waiting in the wings or a mentor paving the road ahead. Every opportunity I’ve had came from showing up, even when the odds were stacked against me. I learned early that if you’re waiting for luck, you’re standing still — and standing still is the fastest way to fall behind.
Running a business in the digital space means living with constant change. Algorithms shift. Clients come and go. AI evolves faster than the ink can dry on your last plan. It’s easy to look at other people’s success and call it “luck,” but behind every so-called lucky break, there’s usually a thousand hours of work no one saw.
If I’ve had any “luck,” it’s been in the people I’ve met along the way — the designers, marketers, and creators who believed in the same vision: to build something real in a world that often feels artificial. That’s not chance; that’s alignment.
Sure, there have been setbacks — bad timing, projects that didn’t pan out, ideas that came too early for their time. But even the bad breaks taught me something valuable. They forced me to adapt, to evolve, and to get sharper.
I think of The Real Social Company as a testament to earned success. Two decades in, we’re still here — not because of luck, but because we kept moving forward when others stopped. That’s what defines the road I’ve been on.
So no, I wouldn’t say luck ever played a major role. Hard work did. Grit did. And maybe that’s the real kind of luck — being wired to keep going when most people would’ve walked away.

Pricing:

• $100 per month social media management (facebook & instagram 2 posts per week)
• $100 per month website management (updates, fixes, basic se)o
• $300-400 per month SEO & Voice Search
• $100 per month blog management (4 blogs per month)
• $100 per month email management (4 mass emails per month)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.therealsocialcompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealsocialcompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realsocialcompany
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-murphy-954b2666/
• Twitter: https://x.com/TheRealSocialC1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@therealsocialcompany9934
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-real-social-columbus
• Other: https://www.joeystardust.com