MediaSpark recently welcomed Kim Stoneburner as our new Director of Marketing Services, and there’s no question where her passion lies. “The field of marketing is always changing, and that can be challenging,” says Kim, who has over 20 years of experience in consumer products marketing. “Of course, that’s also what makes it fun.”
One of the reasons marketing has become such a dynamic industry is the rate at which we’re able to receive and use results from a variety of platforms. “The adage, ‘The Consumer Is King’ is still as relevant now as it ever as been,” she said. “The difference now is that we must also account for how, where, when, and why those customers consume information.”
Technology, social media, and addressable television have all changed the marketing landscape in huge ways—and they are still changing it. It’s also changing how businesses are finding and engaging their target audiences. “Whether you are an entrepreneur or an established business, I would give you the same advice,” Kim added. “Do what you can to stay current. Do what you can to stay relevant. Never stop learning about your customer base and how they are interacting with their chosen media. It might be—and usually is—different from what you think.”
While every company and industry measures success in different ways, Kim says that there are some general points to keep in mind when creating a successful marketing strategy.
Know Where You Are Going
Every client should be able to answer the “where, what and why” of each campaign. “If you don’t establish clear objectives, you’ll never know if you’ve succeeded,” she states. “You can’t tell if you’ve made it if you don’t know where you are going.” She works closely with clients to determine what those markers of success are, whether it is the number of leads, the identification of marketing targets, or the discovery of a viable marketing channel.
Eat data for breakfast.
Maybe not literally (she would recommend having coffee first). “Data is what drives future decisions,” said Kim. “Keeping your key objectives in mind, we can use the data from previous and even current campaigns to make sure we are consistently hitting our targets.”
Be patient.
As much data is available, it’s still important to think long-term. Says Kim, “The longer a campaign has a chance to run, the more information we can gather. And the more campaigns we run, the more we learn about our ideal customer—what they like to see, which messages resonate, what platforms they prefer, what their average lead time tends to be, and how we can speed that up.”
Helping clients achieve success is one of the big reasons why Kim loves her job, and why MediaSpark is here. When you’re ready to take your marketing campaign to the next level, so are we.
