Refresh Your Brand Messaging to Make More Sales
The book New Sales. Simplified by Mike Weinberg inspired me to strengthen Hammock Communications’ brand messaging. “Practice what you preach, Hammock,” I told myself. I outlined our unique qualities in a news release I sent to media and the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce, of which I am a proud new member. Here it is. Please let me know if it rings true for you or if it needs some tweaks. I value your feedback. And if you want help with your brand messaging let me know. I can tell you I feel energized after putting mine together.
TV News Veteran Leads New Edwardsville, IL Public Relations and Marketing Firm
Beth Hammock Draws on 13 Years in TV News and 22 Years as Public Relations and Marketing Leader to Guide Businesses to Better Results
The owner of a new St. Louis area public relations and marketing firm offers businesses a valuable perspective on connecting with customers. Hammock Communications, LLC, based in Edwardsville, Illinois, is owned and operated by Beth Hammock. Hammock draws on 13 years as a TV news reporter and producer and 22 years as in-house counsel to large organizations to help businesses turn around their marketing and communications. She started her business in 2015 in the Kansas City area, where she has spent most of her career.
“After I moved to Edwardsville to be near my family, I realized how much I like it and decided to put down roots here,” Hammock says. “While I am grateful public relations and marketing can be accomplished virtually, I look forward to getting out and meeting business leaders once the pandemic ends.”
Hammock partners with companies and organizations whose sales are stalled, staff lacks motivation, and leaders have tried everything they can think of to bring in more leads. They have a great product or service, but no one knows about it. Some have in-house marketing and communications teams. This may consist of a couple of people or it can be a much larger team. In most cases, half of the marcom staff has been around a long time and may want to do things the way they always have. The other half likely is inexperienced. They have fresh ideas but do not have a leader to help execute them.
The in-house marketers may be trying to increase brand awareness using the latest digital tactics or creating sales brochures. They throw money into tactics, but sales still struggle. They begin to wonder whether they chose the right digital agency. There are so many agencies to choose from just like there are a lot of competitors in their industry.
Brand Messaging Includes Areas of Strength
1) Comprehensive Approach: Hammock conducts marketing and communications audits, then crafts strategic plans for businesses, universities, and nonprofits. She coaches, counsels, and trains staff. She also is available to serve as a fractional chief communications officer or fractional chief marketing officer, meaning she is committed to a business for a set number of hours a week to be the in-house marketing and communications lead. Some businesses have her on retainer for public relations and crisis communications.
2) Media Relations: Hammock is an accomplished media relations professional who will get your story in the media or help you through a crisis. She has been a spokesperson for the Missouri attorney general, University of Missouri Advancement, the University of Montana Foundation, Cottey College, the Kansas City (Mo.) School District, and Independence (Mo.) School District.
2) Media Relations Prowess: Hammock is an accomplished media relations professional who will get your story in the media or help you through a crisis. She has been a spokesperson for the Missouri attorney general, University of Missouri Advancement, the University of Montana Foundation, Cottey College, the Kansas City (Mo.) School District, and Independence (Mo.) School District.
3) Journalistic Content Creation: With a degree and background in journalism, Hammock is an expert in storytelling in all mediums including video production, copywriting, book editing, email marketing, and social media. She bases the content on your brand messaging, finding stories to illustrate your strengths.
4) Digital Direction: Hammock partners with a local digital agency when clients need a new website, paid search, email automation, and other advanced digital tactics. Hammock serves as creative director for website development, a role which usually falls on the client. She has managed the redesign of several university and college websites and adds incredible value to clients’ web development processes.
People who have worked with Beth Hammock describe her as innovative, creative, adaptable, and productive.
“Beth Hammock is an extraordinarily motivated individual with a conscientious work ethic,” says Oindrila Roy, Ph.D., associate professor of international relations at Cottey College. “She led the redesign of the college’s website and worked with all concerned parties to cater to their unique needs. That she completed the project within 100 days bespeaks of her high levels of dedication, expertise in the area, and ability to produce quality work within a short duration of time. As a part of this project, I worked with Ms. Hammock to update the webpage for my program, and in our one-on-one interactions, I could easily witness Ms. Hammock’s passion for and deep commitment toward the success of this project.”
Hammock also has a dozen years of fundraising experience, mostly at the university level. She was director of development communications at the University of Missouri, Columbia for five years and vice president, strategic communications and marketing at the University of Montana Foundation for four years. Both universities had great success in fundraising while Hammock led development communications.
At the University of Montana Foundation, she also was special assistant to the president for brand development for 18 months and now taps this experience while working with clients on their brand strategies. She is an expert in building a case for support for fundraising then illustrating it in print and in video. She looks forward to partnering with area universities to help them raise more money with the right tools and messaging.
In addition to higher education, other Hammock Communications specialties include supporting scientists with collateral for fundraising and writing for engineering and technology firms.