HI, I'm Will and I'm a
Marketing Pantologist
Mahr-ki-ting / Pan-tol-uh-jist
One having a systematic knowledge of all things marketing.
And this is what I can do for you…
Regardless of what it’s called (Marketing Funnel, Digital Funnel, Sales Funnel…) I’ve learned that all funnels start with the customer, end with the customer, and have a nearly identical process in the middle to win over the customer. My experience and understanding of channel marketing has given me the tools and background to move customers through the funnel in an enjoyable, informed, and easy to use process so that they not only take initial action, but also reengage – whether they are (B2C) and/or (B2B) customers.
To highlight the soft and hard skills I can bring to your team, below are some of my thoughts, career highlights, and a few examples of the roles I’ve had moving customers through the customer funnel…
The Customer Funnel
Research
From focus groups and one-on-one observations to questionnaires and consumer feedback, a constant in my career has been finding what motivates the customer to make a purchase. Keep in mind that it’s just as important to stay informed on the industry you work in as it is the customers. Knowing these things are key to creating any successful campaign.
My exposure to research started early in my career and on one of the coolest projects. I was an intern at Kindred-Keziah and Marvel tasked the agency to determine if it made sense for Marvel to start making movies!? After diving deep into the movie and comic industries, conducting multiple focus groups and interviews over a period of months – the recommendation was… YES! Not only did Kindred-Keziah think stand-alone movies would be successful, but there was also a high probability of a movie franchise for multiple characters!
Now, in this situation I was reading through the data and pulling out key ah-ha’s to build the story and present to the client. But it was great hands-on experience and not a bad first gig!
Having benefited from Kendrid-Keziah proprietary consumer, brand, and industry research techniques as well as The Integer Groups proprietary brainstorming techniques – I gained tools and knowledge that I reference to this day.
The only true way to gauge online awareness is through views and clicks. And the only way to get a click is to drive traffic. And to drive traffic, you need to understand how your site/page/video was found in the first place. To get here requires an understanding of your customers behavior – which – you guessed it, depends on research and analytics.
Research has been a pillar of my career, I’ve used Google Analytics and AdWords, SEO, subject lines, A/B testing, video, keyword searches… to develop strategies that drive traffic. And in 2021 completed a Social Media Certification program at the University of Denver to refresh my skills.
Marketing is in constant flux and I believe for me to be relevant is for me to be informed.
Sales research is basically a combination of Marketing and online research. The only difference, and not a small one, is that most sales are conducted by region and account.
For example, I know that a Coors promotion for the NFL inside a Wal*Mart on the east coast will be slightly different that the Coors promotion for the NFL in a Buffalo Wild Wings in the Midwest. The signage, theme, and even the give-aways could all be different.
But you prepare for those regions ahead of time.
That’s why it’s critical for marketing and sales teams to work together to understand the region (landmarks, teams, historical figures…) and the accounts (number years in business, clientele, budgets…) in order to provide a unique campaign specific to each accounts need. And yes, that usually means one-off campaigns to seal-the-deal.
The secret is repurposing the collateral as to not reinvent the wheel.
Awareness, Visitors, and Leads
Because the funnels are basically the same in the middle, it makes sense that many of the steps overlap. Steps like raising awareness, getting visitors and leads are basically the same, but with different approaches, on different platforms, and at different points in the funnel.
Whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, I know that raising awareness of your product or brand in a clothing store, grocery store, restaurant, tradeshow… you should at least provide a promotion and signage.
Most brands have tons of signage and coupons for their products. As an account executive on the Coors “Mega” team (NFL, NASCAR, Holidays…) and the NE and Midwest regions (sales), I helped manage timelines and deliverables of multiple POS products for multiple accounts. The purpose for the signage, promotions, giveaways, events etc… was to increase consumer awareness and encourage purchase not only at the customer level – but the distributor level too.
Similarly, at Fresh Produce, I managed the Promotions Program which included budgeting, timelines, and the production of in-store signage, customer giveaways, dealer promo points etc… Again, to raise awareness of the brand with customers, but to also stay top-of-mind with current and potential distributors.
And then you need to consider what’s happening online…
With integrated marketing campaigns, the collateral used offline are often the same collateral used online (images, giveaways, copy…). The key is pinpoint where the offline target is most active online, and which campaign is most likely to resonate with them.
For example, a brand will probably want to duplicate the imagery and messaging used in their grocery store campaigns in their Facebook ads because the demographics are more closely aligned. Similarly, if they’re targeting young people in a department store they’d probably use similar imagery and messaging in their Instagram or Pinterest ads. And the imagery being used for a corporate tradeshow would be the same used in LinkedIn ads surrounding the tradeshow…
The great thing about online advertising is having more control of where, when, and who is seeing your ads – and Google Analytics to track success – giving marketing more control over ROI and better information to identify what’s working and what’s not.
Leads are generated through traditional marketing channels (entering a contest, trying a product at an event, or seeing in-store displays…), and online channels (requesting more information, entering a contest, interacting with posts and content…).
The key is making sure the leads are funneled to the right sales rep in a timely manner, and that communication with the lead is ongoing, without overdoing it, and relevant (email, posts, likes, and follows…).
Interest, Action, Advocay...
Rather than elaborate on the remaining steps of the customer funnel, it may be best to discuss them over coffee – or maybe an interview? Click and complete the “meet with me” link to experience a responsive form – complete with a confirmation page and email confirmation.
In the meantime, check out some examples of my past experience, work, and mock-ups below.
* The link above highlights the responsive forms I recommend using.
Is a Marketing Pantologist an Account Executive, Creative, Strategist?
YES!
As a Marketing Pantologist I have the background and experience to manage fully integrated marketing campaigns from start to finish. Using analytics and consumer data, I can create concepts and collateral, target online ads, track ROI, modify as necessary – and then repeat. I can also manage third party agencies if that’s how your organization operates. Below are examples of training I received, campaigns I contributed to, projects I managed, and collateral I created for this demonstration purpose. Just click an image to learn more about it.
Let's Talk...
I hope this website has highlighted enough about me and the skills I offer to make you want to reach out to discuss possible positions you have available. If there’s not a current position with your organization, maybe you know of a friend or client in need of a integrated marketing pantologist. Even if you don’t, I hope you liked what you saw and look forward to connecting someday.