By: Elizabeth Snowden
Technology Partner’s Director of Emerging Markets, Betsy Mack, is a networking ninja. A master of connection. As the United Way of Greater St. Louis’ former Major Gift Manager, and former Director of Marketing at her current company, Betsy has built a career on understanding community needs, aligning company goals, and building support. Currently she is leading the national expansion of Technology Partners as they grow and expand through major metropolitan cities.
Betsy’s impressive PR background tells the story of a driven, future executive, deeply committed to local causes while simultaneously rising quickly through career ranks. So, we asked her to speak at this year’s Midwest Digital Marketing Conference, reflect on the experiences that brought her to this point in her career, and provide some insight into navigating the current digital marketing landscape.
In anticipation of her speaking engagement in April, we asked Betsy to give us her thoughts on current and future trends in Marketing. A lot of the burning questions out there hover over the future of the web, growing small businesses, and how business is changing as a result of globalization.
What’s the latest and best course of action to grow small businesses? Betsy responds,
“Social Media! It is free. Create your brand and push it out. Yes, it takes time but it is free. Take advantage of it. No company is too little or too small to use it.”
Often the most neglected aspect of small businesses falls to online presence.
Make sure your content provides value for the user – Making social media a priority can grow your reach and subsequent opportunities. Betsy reiterates, the word of the year for 2016 is “MarkITing, as marketing and IT merge into one.”
Similarly, many current and emerging business owners are struggling to determine which online platform deserves the most precedence when trying to effectively engage their target consumer. Is a website enough to attract the traffic we want? Or is a mobile app the way to go? What about tablets? Can we afford, let alone manage, all three? Subquestion: is the web, in fact, dying, thanks to the rise of mobile tech? Is the web still relevant? Betsy assures, “Yes. It is the driving force behind social and mobile. And despite the ease and access the other two platforms have, the web it still intact and used.”
So what does the future business landscape look like to Betsy Mack? “I do believe that marketing will be blended into other academic pursuits as it should be. Business leaders alike need to understand the need for marketing as technology evolves and business becomes even more global. When pursuing a career in marketing, look at coursework that enables you to be well-rounded with the focus business, digital trends, IT, and leadership.”
Follow Betsy Mack: @BetsyMack_
Follow Technology Partners: @ClearChoiceInIT
