Paige Arnof-Fenn
Founder & CEO at Mavens & Moguls
Website Address: www.MavensAndMoguls.com
Each week on “Marketing and Beyond,” our host talks to media experts across the country. This week our host speaks with Paige Arnof-Fenn from Mavens & Moguls. To learn more, check out http://mavensandmoguls.com.
What is your company Elevator pitch when talking about your company?
Are you looking to find more customers and accelerate your sales cycle? We love helping organizations find the right words and pictures to elevate their profile and build awareness to get their story out there both online and offline in compelling ways as a virtual marketing department that acts as an extension of your team.
What changes has your company made over the past 2 years that have impacted your business
The biggest change for me, my team and my clients from the virus is the shutdown of all networking events, travel and conferences. This is typically a very busy time with many events, trade shows, business meetings on the road, etc. and for the past 2+ years everyone is staying put and meeting virtually instead. I have had more Zoom and Skype calls in the past 15 days than the 12 months pre pandemic! Pivoting to online meetings, webinars, etc. is a smart and productive way companies can continue to have conversations that educate and inform, build relationships and move forward during this crisis period. So first and foremost I have learned to help small businesses to be flexible and open minded so we can keep working together during the crisis and create more flexible capacity going forward over the next year as the economy fully reopens.
What is one tip that you would give when it comes to digital marketing?
If we learned anything during Covid it is that digital marketing is only growing in importance. The real benefit is that people today are socially sharing so much information about their needs, wants, and pain points on their public profiles so with a little research you can be personalized, relevant, and helpful, rather than intrusive and cold from your initial outreach which leads to more meaningful ongoing prospect and customer engagement. Building a strong network through various social media channels allows you to seek out introductions to new sales prospects through existing mutual connections, creating an immediate sense of trust and rapport. That trust is an incredibly important resource for both clients and salespeople creating a favorable impression of someone introduced through their professional network. Ask your shared contact for an introduction and customize your messaging based on the wealth of information people share on their professional social media profiles mentioning a shared interest or that you particularly enjoyed a blog post they shared.
What is the biggest change in marketing that you see coming in the next 2 years?
Budgets during the pandemic have been redirected to social media and website/SEO improvements away from traditional advertising, in-person events and direct marketing efforts. The majority of my clients are spending much of their budgets on social media, website or SEO improvement, and e-mail or automation will account for a significant amount of budget in the year ahead too. We can be sure the new normal will include leveraging Content Marketing, Influencers, Video, PPC, podcasts, and webinars as well. My clients in industries that once relied on the event calendar as the core of their planned marketing activity have taken a giant digital leap forward since the pandemic began and online content-led alternatives have filled the gap. Budgets that were formerly assigned to ads or event exhibition costs have been redirected to content and in-bound marketing, SEO, digital PR and paid programs. Events will no longer be about volume of attendees, people have become pickier about how they choose to spend their time so a more targeted approach will be essential to catch key influencers. It’ll no longer be about eyeballs or the quantity of attendees to an event but rather the quality of those who attend and ensuring you work with the best contacts that are well aligned to your brand to form lasting brand relationships.
What is one tip that you would give when it comes to digital marketing?
If we learned anything during Covid it is that digital marketing is only growing in importance. The real benefit is that people today are socially sharing so much information about their needs, wants, and pain points on their public profiles so with a little research you can be personalized, relevant, and helpful, rather than intrusive and cold from your initial outreach which leads to more meaningful ongoing prospect and customer engagement. Building a strong network through various social media channels allows you to seek out introductions to new sales prospects through existing mutual connections, creating an immediate sense of trust and rapport. That trust is an incredibly important resource for both clients and salespeople creating a favorable impression of someone introduced through their professional network. Ask your shared contact for an introduction and customize your messaging based on the wealth of information people share on their professional social media profiles mentioning a shared interest or that you particularly enjoyed a blog post they shared.
