Consulting
Let's face your challenges together.
What's your communication challenge? Is your organization or company suffering from a lack of awareness? Does your target fully understand the benefits of what you have to offer? Maybe your key publics have misconceptions about your company or what you do. Can your challenge be addressed through education?
If it can be solved with communication, I’d love to tackle it with you. Some challenges that I've addressed in the past include:
- building awareness for a remodeled and underutilized airport
- garnering publicity for a renovated shopping mall
- educating electrical distributors on social media and marketing
- creating a new brand identity for a lighting design business
- explaining the value of high-end, custom-built gun cases
- developing a strategic communications planning for a social service agency
- introducing an app to college students
- revamping website content for a west coast electrical distributor
- communicating the benefits of natural lighting to business owners
- researching public perceptions of a faith-based youth services agency
Daypart Consulting
We can address a specific marketing project or problem, rework your website, outline your marketing plan for the year, brainstorm marketing ideas, plan a campaign, develop a public relations or content marketing strategy, or even restructure your marketing department. How you choose to use this time is up to you!
Strategic Roadmapping
Some firms call it “discovery” or simply “roadmapping.” No matter what you call it, it's the first step in addressing your marketing challenge.
Here’s the point: You have a problem or challenge, but you’re not sure how to approach it. Through a creative yet disciplined step-by step process, we’ll arrive at a plan to solve it— a Strategic Roadmap.
One long session or several small sessions will yield a written document that clearly defines your problem and maps out actionable strategies and tactics to address it.
After this process, you can choose to implement the solution yourself, hire us to do it, or hire someone else. The point is—you have a proposed solution based on a strategic planning process.
Comprehensive Marketing Audit
Want a more detailed review of your marketing plan, strategy and materials? This estimate is based on reviewing your past marketing efforts. I will:
- Hold client conferences to:
- collect information about your current communications materials
- gain insight into your goals and purposes of your material
- gather input on evaluation criteria
- Determine criteria for evaluation
- Rate each piece or group of pieces (i.e. blog, newsletters) on a numeric scale for each criterion
- Evaluate the overall effectiveness of all materials on each criterion
- Make recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of activities and materials which you will be able to immediately implement
You will receive a written summary of results and recommendations for improving the effectiveness of activities and materials which can serve as a reference for future development.
Consulting Contract
When you commit to a three-month or six-month consulting agreement, you essentially contract for a specific number of hours per month at a significantly reduced rate.
Ideally, we'll meet weekly or biweekly by phone or online to address your specific marketing issues, including but not limited to:
- working on an annual marketing plan
- discussing marketing strategy and tactics
- addressing a specific marketing challenge
- brainstorming promotional or campaign ideas
- discussing/writing email, newsletter, website or blog content
- editing and proofreading content you provide
- learning about a specific marketing topic or technology
Together we can map out an agenda for your consulting sessions, or we can play it by ear. It's your time to spend however you choose!
“As Cunningham Children’s Home began exploring community-based services, Katrina helped us think strategically about the best way to talk about the services to the audiences we wanted to reach. She developed and facilitated a staff working group who provided valuable input and then helped us refine the messages with potential clients and community leaders. Katrina knows her craft and provides enthusiastic assistance every step of the way.”
Sharla Sola
Director of Advancement Cunningham Children’s Home Urbana, IL
“Katrina is personable, approachable, and open-minded. In the short time I have known and worked with her, she exhibited professionalism, excitement and genuine enthusiasm for our projects. She was very creative in seeking ideas and involvement as it related to our project. It is truly refreshing to work with professionals, such as Katrina, with such passion for their work. I would recommend Katrina for marketing consulting/planning.”
Susan Mason
Senior Director, Marketing
Springfield Electric Supply Co.
Springfield, IL
“Katrina gave me my first shot in the business as a freelance designer, and soon thereafter I was working with her full time. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for all Katrina has accomplished and how she went about it. Working with her was such a tremendous learning experience. She is bright, dedicated and very driven. To this day she is still one of the most influential people to my career path. I learned so much from Katrina; I thank her tremendously. She would be an outstanding leader, consultant or team member.”
Tony Neary
Associate Creative Director
Interbrand
Dayton, Ohio
Want to talk about it?
Whatever your challenge, I can help. Drawing on my own skills and experience, plus my large and growing network of experts in web design, digital marketing, research and business, we can solve any marketing problem. Just email katrina@katrinaolson.com, call 217-721-1679, or submit a request via the contact page.