Marketing Strategy Leader has experience working with businesses of all sizes from global corporations to small businesses and startups. Each new client brings a new challenge. We are inspired by the opportunity to support these organizations in achieving their goals. Here are some of our latest client engagements:
Market Research and Audience Focused Deliverables
Organizations need to fully understand the perspectives of the audiences they serve. As marketers and communicators, we all understand that storytelling is one vital way to connect with our audiences. We instinctively know that sharing compelling, relevant stories about our work with our constituencies will have an impact. But first, to get the context of our stories right, we have to gather current perspectives of those people. There are a number of ways we at Marketing Strategy Leader approach this market research.
Our work with Ellucian was twofold. First of all, we helped them develop a new set of easy to consume personas for their marketing and sales organizations. We started this work by gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. We used a Forrester Research template to form a representative description of each target audience decision maker. Collaborating with Ellucian designers and copywriters, we produced a slide deck containing all personas in the spring of 2024. Second of all, we project managed the successful launch of a thought leadership partnership between Ellucian and a third party organization. A major piece of this storytelling work was the development of the branding and website for the project. To develop these, we discovered, negotiated an agreement with, and were the key liaison for an award-winning digital marketing agency. The partnership was successfully launched at a national conference in the spring of 2024.
Digital Transformation
We support organizations through digital transformation. We do this by developing strategic plans, leading a collaborative process to select technology platforms, implementing the strategic plan, and providing technology training and support.
HERDI (Higher Education Research Development Institute) facilitates frank and critical dialogue between college leaders (deans, vice presidents, presidents and chancellors) and the business community that seeks to serve them. They facilitate dialogue in order to provide better products and services for students, faculty and staff at community and independent colleges across the country. HERDI joined as a Marketing Strategy Leader client in 2019 and is still a client today.
When the pandemic hit, it could have shut down HERDI’s operations. At the time, this small business fulfilled its mission by providing companies with face to face focus groups with college leaders. Together, we sustained their revenue through the pandemic by building out a digital infrastructure to quickly pivot to a virtual environment. This virtual option remains available for HERDI clients today as another revenue stream for the business. And shifts from paper to online (including CRM) documentation and systems have future-proofed this small business.
If you are looking to future-proof your business by adding a digital infrastructure, Hester can help. She led Pearson Learning Solutions’ expansion into digital marketing. As part of this work, Hester introduced new communication channels for growth. She supports small businesses like HERDI in adding new technologies to open up new revenue streams and streamline organizational architecture.
Partnership Development
Marketing Strategy Leader provides collaborative negotiaton to bring the largest impact from your organization’s partnerships. Whether it’s agency relationships, association sponsorships or thought leadership and research partnerships, you will be impressed by the size of our network, the depth of our work and the quality of the outcomes we deliver.
Cengage, the U.S. Higher Education business of global education technology company Cengage Group, serves millions of instructors, learners and institutions. They deliver affordable, high-quality digital products and personalized support to power learning individually and at scale. While working with Cengage from 2019 through 2022, Hester developed a series of partnerships with national associations to spotlight company executives and raise awareness of Cengage’s capabilities to work at scale with colleges. This work began in the COVID era when associations were struggling to quickly move conferences online and traditional sponsorship investments were not providing Cengage with effective return on investment. Hester’s collaborative approach yielded impressive results and contributed to a 20 point year-over-year increase in Cengage’s Net Promoter Score.
Program Development, Presenting and Moderating
We develop impactful programming for both virtual and in person events. If you seek a talented presenter or moderator with deep experience recruiting nationally-known speakers, we can support you. Hester has moderated panels, led presentations and been a guest at over 50 national conferences, webinars and podcasts. Her sessions draw a crowd and her interactive approach draws audiences into the discussion. We have successfully completed this work with a number of small and large organizations with outstanding results. This work secures high levels of awareness with target audiences and brings in qualified leads through event registrations.
Integrated Marketing Communications Campaigns for Industry Research
We work with your research team and/or third party organizations to bring unique, valuable industry intelligence to your target audience. Marketing Strategy Leader then promotes the research findings through an integrated marketing communications campaign to raise brand awareness and generate leads. We have implemented this powerful strategy with a number of small and large organizations with exceptional results.
Digital Marketing
Element451 is a cutting edge admissions marketing and enrollment CRM featuring everything that schools of all sizes and budgets need to grow their student body. Element451 joined as a client in 2019. Our consulting with Element451 included branding, paid search, social media advertising and content marketing.
Stripes Learning provides masterclasses taught by chief product officers at top tech companies in Boston. Stripes Learning joined as a client in 2019. Our consulting includes network and partnership building as well as marketing strategy and implementation.
Good Harbor Partners (GHP) provides strategic consulting, advisory, and M&A services to mature companies, growth stage companies and high potential startups in the EdTech, publishing, and media sectors. GHP joined as a client in 2019. Our consulting includes messaging and positioning, content marketing strategy, lead generation campaigns and communications coaching.
XR InLearning is a membership organization for companies bringing augmented, virtual and mixed reality to K12 and higher education and corporate and workforce training. Our consulting included marketing strategy, market research, programming development for media and events, network building and business development.
North Shore Community College (NSCC) is located north of Boston and has two campuses – one in Lynn and one in Danvers Massachusetts. Recently, the college received national recognition, ranking 23rd for serving adult learners. NSCC joined as a client in 2015. Our consulting included marketing strategy, market research and a campaign roadmap for using content and social marketing to promote student retention.
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