09 Jan Déjà vu
Hello, Everyone!
It’s been forever since I have communicated with the world. The last few years have been a whirlwind!
As I mentioned in my post last week, 2023 was a rollercoaster. After the phenomenal success of taking a company public in 2021, I decided to take some time off to determine my next career move. When I was ready to tell the world the news about re-launching my business in 2022, I dealt with a series of personal setbacks (I mentioned this in my post last week and was overwhelmed by the support I received). Thankfully, I was fortunate to have amazing clients, including BZI, Kymeta, and SPEE3D, and together, we achieved phenomenal results. But, I couldn’t expand my business or take on new clients.
Fast forward to 2024. I am having severe deja vu as I officially launch Meeker Communications today! For those who remember, I built a successful agency called MeekerQuinn with my former partner Carol Quinn, who sadly passed away. We worked directly with phenomenal founders and marketing leaders to propel and launch over 20 startups in just four years, with clients including textPlus, Nod.AI (acquired by AMD), MyWallStreet, and ClipMine (acquired by Twitch).
I have struggled with how to “market myself” at this stage of my career and have had similar conversations with other marketing leaders. What does Meeker Communications stand for? What is our expertise? Do I narrow myself down to something like “PR and Communications for B2B Companies?” or share what I have accomplished over the last 20 years?
Ultimately, I have concluded that:
- It’s an asset to have both B2B and B2C experience across a wide range of industries. I’m not a one-trick pony. You can throw me into any situation, and I will quickly learn your business and industry, becoming an expert myself. For instance, at Zendesk, I launched their first AI-driven chat product when AI wasn’t well-known. At Homepoint, I led the marketing for the company’s IPO in only three months. I am passionate about learning new things and was once told my greatest compliment in business: “You can solve any problem.”
- Having experience working for startups and large global public companies works well for both situations. Startups want to grow and need someone who can be strategic and dive in and do the work themselves. Larger, high-growth companies need someone with a scrappy startup mentality who can move fast and make quick decisions. I have led teams of 10 globally and been a team of one. I have built departments and programs from scratch. I assess how we can make branding decisions that tie directly to business and revenue goals, regardless of business size.
- Many people know me for my experience in PR, bringing a rolodex of solid relationships with reporters and analysts. But my career has indeed been focused on building brands. We call this “the top of the marketing funnel” – ultimately, if a person has not heard of your company, how will they know to engage? Often, these earned accolades are overlooked for paid strategies. But when was the last time you could say that a significant carmaker reached out to your client after reading a press release? I can!
Bottom line: You can tie results back to growth and revenue to branding, including internal and external communications, public/analyst relations, content creation, speaking/events, awards, social media, and executive leadership. I can show you how.