Boundary Waters Bank: Client Story

Boundary Waters Bank: Client Story

Expanding community bank matures in their marketing efforts. As bankers, we like to think we know a lot about [marketing], but in all actuality, we don’t. We know nothing about marketing or advertising. And what we tend to do - and what this bank has done in the past - is waste dollars on different types of advertising or marketing, thinking we were getting our name out or the product out to the people. What brought us to Authentic: We were getting nowhere, we needed some traction, and we needed somebody with the expertise to bring this bank into the…
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Fueled Collective: Client Story

Fueled Collective: Client Story

Marketing fuel for growing co-working and event brand. We were suddenly facing a lot of competition at the same time. Originally, we had no marketing. Then we moved to "Random Acts of Marketing", and we finally had to really professionalize that whole area, and that's when we sought out Authentic. [Since] that initial engagement, we’re headed towards being even more than just marketing focused, we’re headed towards being sales focused." - Don Ball, Co-Founder, Fueled Collective Continue reading
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GoKart Labs: Client Story

GoKart Labs: Client Story

Digital innovation firm drives awareness for a national audience. The Authentic team has been really instrumental in helping us organize and focus in on a really specific strategy. We have a tendency to want to do everything all at once, and they helped us pick out the most important things to focus on, drive the right metrics around that, and to tackle things in sequential order and gain a lot of confidence in what we’re doing in our marketing efforts." - Elli Rader, Vice President of Client Services, GoKart Labs Continue reading
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Pro-Tec Design: Client Story

Pro-Tec Design: Client Story

Growing ESOP levels up marketing strategy and leadership. Random Acts of Marketing: That would have been Pro-Tec prior to us associating with Authentic. We decided last year that we needed to focus, we needed a roadmap, we needed somebody to help us to create a real marketing program at Pro-Tec. That’s how we engaged the Fractional CMO program.The biggest benefit was getting people onboard and understanding how important it is to tell our story, and how important it is to build our brand. Hiring a professional (Fractional CMO) who can actually sit at the table with the management team and…
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Measuring Marketing Success: Where to Begin

Measuring Marketing Success: Where to Begin

I have a confession. I like to think that I’m a pretty hip guy but if I’m really honest, I’m pretty nerdy at my core. I like to read biographies of 19th century business leaders. The majority of my wardrobe is free corporate swag. I subscribe to This Old House magazine and am fascinated by genealogy research. These are not the activities of the “Cool Kids Club.” (more…)
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What is a marketing plan? Discover your roadmap to results.

What is a marketing plan? Discover your roadmap to results.

“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” - Earl Nightingale As a business leader, you understand the importance of courage. It took courage to take a dream and turn it into reality. You had to believe even when no one else did and push through the moments that would have made others give up. This courage has gotten you to where you are today. (more…)
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Hiring an effective marketing leader: Why a two-pronged approach makes all the difference

Hiring an effective marketing leader: Why a two-pronged approach makes all the difference

My job allows me the unique opportunity to speak with five to ten small business leaders per week. When you get the chance to connect with this many leaders you start to gain valuable insight into what concerns are top of mind for folks who are running successful businesses. As I ask questions about their business, we always get to the topic of marketing (probably because that’s what I’m there to discuss). Most of the time, the conversation about marketing goes something like this: “We don’t currently have anyone leading marketing. In the past we’ve tried some things, but I’ve…
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