Ohio University’s Innovation Center had student start-ups and funding, but it wanted start-up experts to help students move from a business plan to an actual business. Recommended to Mark by a venture capitalist, the IC tapped into his network and expertise to help grow the student businesses. wallingerconsulting helped: Counsel on an ongoing basis on all aspects of growth from customer acquisition to management issues Leverage contacts to grow the businesses, like a former Disney executive Linked entrepreneurs to CEOs in niche businesses, like mobile, or social Think through sales and marketing efforts Focus on a logical, realistic growth strategy Tactics: Provide Ohio University’s Digital Media Accelerator Program with ongoing mentoring as students business winners from Start-Up Weekend and Start-Up Showcase needed more than just funding. “wallingerconsulting has been with us since the beginning,” said Jennifer Simon, Director of the Innovation Center. “Students need a hands-on mentor, who can connect concept to reality; bring CEOs and subject matter experts into a technology play; recognize that students are rich with ideas, but inexperienced with applying them in a commercial setting.” wallingerconsulting...
Ivan and Jeff Harper of DuetHealth knew they were well ahead of the market with mobile apps and platforms, but they needed expert advice. wallingerconsulting helped: Strategically target and hire a CEO Leverage their contacts to grow the business Linked them to talent Build awareness with public relations Tactics: Provide ongoing counsel, ideas and strategies to be a sounding board for a start-up mobile company that becomes Duet Health “Mark did more than listen and react,” said Jeff Harper. “He understood the frustrations of a start-up; knew when to push and when to not; and shared the exhausting culture of a high-tech start-up from a perspective of someone who had been there.” wallingerconsulting...
Radiant was growing, but CEO Greg Myers needed help … fast. He was recommended to wallingerconsulting by a former employee. wallingerconsulting helped: Rebrand the company Roll out the rebrand to the new facility Identify, hire and work alongside a designer and developer to overhaul the website Write and work alongside a designer for printed collateral customized for multiple offices Outline models for growth of additional vendors, such as telesales Research three markets: Louisville, Cleveland, Cincinnati Provide vendor telesales professionals with market overviews, scripts and lists Prepare and manage an annual marketing budget Recruit and hire a marketing manager Prepare models for additional lines of business, such as a Design Department Tactics: Rebrand, launch a new website, build various growth models and hire full-time and part-time employees for Marketing in less than six months. “wallingerconsulting was a great investment for our business,” said CEO Greg Myers. “Mark was able to parachute in, learn the needs of the business and deliver just as he said he would. Within six months we rebranded; had a new website; were written up by leading local business media outlets and had a new Marketing team. We also an intern program and a network of vendors to support us as we grew. It wasn’t easy work, and much of it required catching us between engagements and regular daily activities, but Mark worked his schedule to fit ours.” wallingerconsulting...
Jane Mason was a social and online expert, but after getting her Master’s Degree from Harvard and taking over as Marketing Director of the Ohio Historical Society, she knew the website had to be overhauled. She had champagne taste, but a modest non-profit budget. And she really needed the group that would renovate the website to be engaged with the process; understand the goals; embrace the mission; and set OHS apart from any other historical society. wallingerconsulting helped: Interview and arrange firms that would be a good fit Reach beyond the core requirement of site renovation to begin to think about revenue generation Select seven medium-sized businesses to pitch partner programs to generate funds that would be mutually beneficial to both the Society and the partner Tactics: Select small-to-medium web design firms that could dedicate a focused team to overhaul the massive Ohio Historical Society website. “wallingerconsulting navigated through two dozen companies to pick the ones that were the right fit, then helped us make a great selection,” said Mason, adding that the expertise in the industry and the time savings alone were worth the investment. “The strategy to pick smaller firms that could fall in love with us and ‘get’ me since I was the project manager, was a critical task. Larger firms might have had bigger clients, or more firepower, but we wanted a firm and a team who would become passionate about who we were becoming, as well as bore into our core mission to demystify and simplify our message and to work within our limited resources. It worked!” wallingerconsulting...
Scott Stitt is an Ohio-based attorney and national expert on legal issues relating to Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). It’s a narrow niche, but there was no social forum for experts. Today, he runs the second largest online social media network of ERISA experts on LinkedIn. It’s a narrow niche, but there was no forum nationally for experts. ERISA is a complicated federal law that sets minimum standards for pension plans in private industry. Today, he runs the second-largest online social media network of ERISA experts on LinkedIn. wallingerconsulting helped: Establish the largest online ERISA gathering of subject matter experts nationwide Grow an online ERISA group using LinkedIn User Groups Establish himself as the Owner of the group, which focused on legal experts, legal providers and experts in the area of ERISA from a variety of industries and national concerns Provide critical updates, national matters, news and notes from key rulings to the group Become the de-facto national legal authority on using social media to connect the nation’s largest online network for this legal niche Leverage the group on an ongoing basis for national initiatives Tactics: Capture a National Audience of Legal Subject Matter Experts as the de-Facto National Social Media Guru Using LinkedIn Groups. “wallingerconsulting did more than just help me learn how to use social media, especially LinkedIn and LinkedIn groups,” said Stitt. “It helped me grow my business. Annually, the group has grown over 100% year-over-year (currently 1,600 members). It’s been a wonderful experience and the return on this minimal investment has paid huge dividends for my practice. I wasn’t fluent on social media, or LinkedIn, but wallingerconsulting...
Ed Levine had a 75-attorney firm in four states, but needed a unified marketing message for the corporate entity that was flexible enough that each attorney would be able customize their specialty under the corporate umbrella. Using print-on-demand and digital printing, and custom iMovie formats for digital, wallingerconsulting helped: Establish corporate guidelines and standards to build the branding Fit each attorney’s growth strategy with custom marketing programs Build a “virtual marketing team” of suppliers, designers and videographers that understood the needs and responded in an aggressive timeframe Build a flexible marketing toolkit for next-day service to meet the needs of the firm and its vast network of attorneys and business concerns Generate a series of messages, materials and high-end custom branding that carried the corporate culture Tactics: Create a flexible, repeatable marketing system that could be customized to fit each attorney’s expertise, but unify to bring together custom materials for individual client acquisition. “wallingerconsulting over-delivered,” said Ed Levine. “The virtual marketing team of experts and the virtual team concept totally worked and kept overhead low. The high-end and professional materials helped our attorneys impress the Fortune 500-size companies we served. He not only did more with less, but he managed to make each attorney feel as though they had achieved custom marketing materials that reflected the firm, and the individual, flawlessly.” wallingerconsulting...
