Interview with Katherine Brungs

June 13, 2010 at 8:12 pm · Filed under Branding, Lacewing News, Strategic Marketing and tagged: fostering engagement, integrated marketing, internet marketing, Lacewing Communications, social media, thought leader

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Amber Singleton Riviere, editor of UpStart Smart Magazine and entrepreneur extraordinaire!

Q: Tell us about your business.

A: Sure, I am the founder and president of Lacewing Communications. We’re a marketing and design company based in the greater Cincinnati area. We’re essentially an internet-based company and service clients in the US and we also have international clients.

I started Lacewing Communications about two years ago after leaving an extensive corporate career. I joke around and say that I took a leap of faith off the corporate ladder and kind of jumped right into managing my own business. But, it’s been wonderful working on my own, I’ve met amazing entrepreneurs and share in their passions for their businesses.

What makes us unique is that we work with business owners who don’t have big budgets and can’t go to large marketing or advertising agencies. It’s evident that business owners need to be practical with smaller budgets in today’s economy. And most often, they need the essentials like a logo design, business cards, website or a brochure or marketing collateral. We help our clients manage their budget allowances and still provide high-quality services.

About Lacewing

We collectively have over 20 years diverse experience. And, my colleagues have backgrounds in corporate, advertising agency and areas of technology to support today’s growing needs, specifically with website and interactive marketing. So, we really are a full service company and provide integrated marketing from strategy to implementation.

Q: You say on your website that “differentiation always leads,” explain that.

Absolutely. Companies need to define their unique selling position, which is demonstrated by their brand and the promises they make to their customers about their products and services, whether you are marketing to businesses or consumers. Differentiating your company today is very challenging with evolving technologies and a proliferation of internet-based businesses.

So standing out in this online crowd is very hard. Over 70% of people will now go to the internet to research a product or service including the research they do offline, so finding the best method to set your company apart from your competition online is key.

This really centers on how you are distinguished within your industry, your experience and skill sets, whether your company offers the most advanced technology or whether you stand out because of outstanding customer service, products, etc. And, my company mainly focuses on integrated marketing , where we take a holistic approach to ensure the consistency of message tracks and use outside-in thinking. We help our clients develop a strategy with the right marketing channels, whether it be with online or traditional print marketing. And the right channels vary for each company based upon your size and business objectives.

We primarily work with entrepreneurs, so budgets and resources are low. Many single business owners are doing all the work themselves and have minimal outside contracting, so we hone in on the essentials and what is practical. This approach maximizes the impact of our customer’s brand and differentiate them their marketplace as a leader based on what is right for their particular company and industry.

Q: You also say that “today’s brands are about shaping positive perceptions and fostering engagement.”  Explain what you mean.

Yes. Online reputation and having a positive perception to not only your customers, but the world, is really what today’s brands are about. When you are building a website and social media strategy, you are engaging the public and this can be positive or negative given people’s many different points of view. And the public essentially becomes a somewhat “free” method of advertising since everything is so viral as it filters through search engines online.

You see companies using blogging and video marketing to foster engagement with their audiences. Clients approach us and ask for Twitter, Facebook and weblogs. They want to jump into it and rightly so because it is a powerful marketing tool, but it is also part of branding.

I talk to business owners all the time about thought leadership and you can easily become a thought leader online. Thought leaders are those that develop expertise on a specific topic and they share it freely. They are tracking trends in their industry so that they can insert themselves into conversations, or start new ones. And, when you see thought leaders that set themselves apart, they are interesting, engaging and memorable and that can drive the image of your brand.

We take a step back and look at blogging and social media as an opportunity to create positive perceptions, and consistent messaging needs to be present in order to create awareness about your company and your brand. Again, it’s an integrated approach that goes with all marketing and media channels.

Q: What tips would you offer to someone who is just getting their business off the ground and is looking to increase their visibility and find new clients without breaking the bank?

Yes, great question. Building a brand is the foundation of your business and should come first, whether you are an individual marketing your personal talents or you are a business owner. We recommend concentrating on the core needs – a logo gives your business a visual identity and really captures your entire brand in one design. And then carry the color palette and look and feel throughout all your marketing communications and touchpoints to build awareness and create brand harmonization.

A logo design doesn’t have to be expensive, my company creates custom logos at an affordable cost. We also host and design low-budget websites and offer various packages to help our clients create an online impression. And you don’t need all the bells and whistles like the larger companies that use flash animation, startups can begin with a 3 or 5-pg site that showcases your services and products for a practical cost, and then build it out as your company grows.

Email marketing is another inexpensive method now one of the top ways of marketing. Companies are embedding video and audio clips to boost results for online search engines. And, integrating email marketing with social media helps increase customer reach. It’s another way to foster engagement with subscribers and keep in touch with current clients. You can set up auto responders that send emails on a periodic basis. eNewsletters are very effective and many of my clients do quick Top 5 news clips.

What also makes us unique, is that we work with clients to develop editorial calendars, so that content is planned out on a monthly, quarterly to annual basis. Time management becomes very important when developing emarketing and specifically newsletters. We work very closely with our clients to manage resources for email marketing to keep content fresh and keep things on schedule.

Search engine marketing or SEM is a hot button.

Article writing and white papers are a great way to receive exposure and it helps you to be regarded as an expert in your field. There are many free online news sites and magazines that allow you to submit articles. We’re building permission-based access to newsletters, which help clients build their mailing lists. I mentioned blogging before and social media. These are all free or relatively inexpensive methods of advertising and you can drive traffic to your website. At Lacewing Communications, we write and distribute inexpensive press releases to announce a new business or service, or any other time that clients have some news to tell. There are also a lot of free press release distribution sites that even distribute internationally.

In general – old fashioned networking and meeting people locally can help spread the word about you and your company. Getting involved in committees and organizations can also help you gain exposure.

Read the full interview on UpSmart Magazine, click here.

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