Marketink

Like most business decision makers, you have probably wondered at one point or another (or on a daily basis), whether or not your marketing investments are paying off, and if you are doing the right things to keep your company, product or service front and center with customers, prospects and channels.

Do you need a new website? Should you hire a marketing firm, or keep marketing in-house? Is it email marketing, an advertisement, PR exposure, or social media campaign that will generate the best results – perhaps, all of the above? What are your marketing and PR goals, anyway? If you don't know the answers to these questions, don’t worry: this stuff can be confusing.

Considered to be the father of modern advertising, John Wanamaker once said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” Even with all of the technology tools available to modern marketers (CRM and email marketing systems, social media and the Internet), we still grapple with the very same challenge that Wanamaker did almost a century ago.

According to ResultRocket, a new strategic partnership between San Diego-based PR/strategic communications firm, BERKMAN and digital/web firm Attention Circle Marketing, this stuff doesn't have to be rocket science. ResultRocket was created to help businesses simplify marketing while equipping them with the strategies and tactics to succeed, all with one integrated solution. Their mantra has three simple components:

* Think It -- develop a strategy and brand, defining a clear roadmap towards success;

* Connect It -- support businesses with the right technologies and systems to communicate and get their customers, prospects and target audiences engaged;

* Buzz It -- develop and disseminate messages that grab attention and prompt meaningful, trackable action.

Learn more about ResultRocket and its marketing process for your business at www.resultrocket.com.

Jacquie Francisco, vice president of marketing agency Brand Savants, recently completed the rigorous course and lab work to become a Certified Brand Strategist.

"The certification process is like graduate school in brand development," says Jim Hughes, founder of The Brand Establishment. "The CBS designation allows principals and firms to distinguish themselves from their competition. They are trained to utilize a proven brand development process for client needs and objectives."

To learn more about the certification process, visit brandestablishment.com.

Nuffer, Smith, Tucker recently brought Mark Olson on board as a government relations and public affairs specialist.

Olson joins the firm after eight years of experience serving as a public spokesman and staff person for elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. In his new role, he is charged with creating and implementing a strategic communications plan for elected official outreach and public awareness regarding invasive species for the California Citrus Research Board.

Mark Donnelly is the newest staff member at the San Diego office of Red Door Interactive, as manager of Business Intelligence, where he will play an instrumental role in helping clients integrate their online data insights with offline business analytics

Prior to his new position, Donnelly worked at Sony Electronics as the financial reporting manager for business intelligence where he managed digital and traditional projects for local and national clients across a variety of industries and educated business owners on best practices for reporting and data management.

* jada.thomas@sddt.com