A Day in the Life of Sr. Marketing Manager Jon Martel
As Stagedge Senior Marketing Manager Jon Martel says, “Marketing is a part of everything.” And Jon is everywhere on a daily basis, from brand awareness and content approval to strategy and analytics. Telling the Stagedge story is a job that is both internal and external; given the demands of his role, we were lucky to get Jon to sit down for a few minutes and tell his own story.
Q: How did you come to work at Stagedge?
JM: As one of the top event production companies, Stagedge had been on my radar for a long time. I liked its special vibe, and that it’s family-oriented. They’re also very innovative and technology-forward. And there is not a lot of employee turnover, which is always a good sign. So, when the position opened, I reached out—and it was the right call!
Stagedge is fully invested in and believes in marketing. What I appreciate is that they give me the space to be both creative AND strategic.
At a lot of companies, marketing is the first budget to get cut. But Stagedge is fully invested in it and believes in it. What I appreciate is that they give me the space to be both creative AND strategic. They value my opinion, and if I have an idea, I have the autonomy to make it happen. If I want to go to a conference or training, I can go. The leadership at Stagedge values its team members and gives them the tools and resources to succeed.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you? Do you have a typical day?
JM: We are in the business of storytelling. By creating and executing immersive brand experiences through live & virtual events here in the U.S. and around the world, we bring our clients' stories to life. It is my job to bring the Stagedge story to life . . . and, it’s a good one! When people see our logo, we want to be instantly recognizable! That doesn’t happen without marketing. So, we work closely with solutions engineers, leadership, and the creative team. At the same time, we act as the liaison with creative agencies and digital marketing. Marketing is a part of everything at Stagedge.
We are in the business of storytelling. By creating and executing immersive brand experiences through live & virtual events here in the U.S. and around the world, we bring our clients' stories to life. It is my job to bring the Stagedge story to life . . . and it’s a good one!
Because there’s so much that goes into marketing, there really is no “typical day.” Each day I try to compartmentalize, making time for tasks such as brand awareness, content approval, and planning and executing strategy. There’s analytics work, which includes tracking web traffic, social media, email campaigns, etc. And, of course, I work with tech partners and vendors, and I’m often in meetings with leadership and other teams.
Q: Content is a huge part of what you do. How does content work hand-in-hand with what the other Stagedge team members are doing?
JM: Part of the reason why I was hired was to bring awareness to all of the incredible events that Stagedge is producing for our clients. We were doing all of these amazing things, but very few people knew about them. So I’ve been working to build awareness by:
Identifying customer personas. What are their challenges and pain points? How can we help solve those?
Building a content library of blog posts, e-books, case studies, and videos. And not just building that library, but also making it widely available to buyers. We might have the perfect solution for someone—but if they don’t know about it, we can’t help.
Creating deep-dive blog posts into employee roles. “Day in the life” blogs—like this one—provide deeper insight into the behind-the-scenes work employes do. As so many event production services are invisible, it’s important to showcase everyone’s contributions.
Part of the reason why I was hired was to bring awareness to all of the incredible events that Stagedge was producing. We were doing all of these amazing things, but very few people knew about them.
As soon as any new content is made available, I make sure it’s visible to the entire team and offer suggestions for sharing and commenting. It’s been gratifying to see our online presence increase as we’ve built these awareness campaigns. We’re getting a lot more website traffic, social media followers, and social engagement (views, impressions, and click-throughs).
Q: Tell us about the "unseen" part of your work. What do you want clients to know?
JM: A big role that I play is facilitating communication within the company. We have so many different things going on, and it’s easy for people to miss the big picture.
I think it’s important to explain to our team members the “why” behind our marketing strategies and tactics. It’s about brand awareness, education for buyers, and ultimately, conversion and more sales. It’s about defining Stagedge as one of the top event production companies and conveying what makes us different. We want to be the best at what we do. We want to be an extension of your team. We want to help you through the entire event lifecycle—concept to completion.
Stagedge was already doing all of these things—but buyers need to know we’re doing them, and how we can help. Marketing drives the entire engine and keeps new engagements happening.
Q: Can you tell us about a particular challenge or project that you found exciting?
JM: Our recent website launch and redesign. As I mentioned, Stagedge is doing all of these amazing things, but the old website did not reflect that. The new site will reflect Stagedge’s differentiators, and it will be a hub for both team members and customers/buyers. Internally, we want this to be our number-one sales tool. Externally, we want buyers with questions about event marketing services to be able to find answers easily.
The challenge has been the sheer number of stakeholders involved in the project. We’ve got writers and creative teams working on copy and design, and we’re getting input from department heads for each team—in short, a lot of moving pieces. Here are some of the new website’s features:
A new look that reflects the Stagedge brand
Easier navigation so visitors can find everything they’re looking for
Resources and tools that empower buyers to create immersive and engaging experiences through the full event lifecycle
Content engine driven by subject-matter experts, with a repository of useful and informational assets
The Stagedge Difference—what sets Stagedge apart from the competition
Q: What trends in the events industry do you find exciting?
JM: The intersection of live and virtual events is one. Although there’s still turbulence in the economy, live events have made a big comeback and are continuing to show good ROI. And post-Covid, the virtual aspect is here to stay. Finding an event marketing services partner that can handle both live and virtual aspects of event production is both convenient and a money-saver.
Stagedge has so many long-term relationships, and we see these partnerships as key to building our brand over time. Needless to say, buyers will place more trust in someone they know.
I also think there should be a bigger emphasis on relationship and influencer marketing. If someone is familiar with a certain technology, venue, or brand that’s associated with Stagedge, that familiarity breeds trust. Stagedge has many long-term relationships, and we see these partnerships as key to building our brand over time. Needless to say, buyers will place more trust in someone they know.
Q: What kind of experience or training would you recommend for someone else who is interested in event production jobs?
JM: If you’re good at marketing, you should be able to do it for any industry—but finding a company that is invested in and supportive of what you do is the big difference. So my advice would be to look for, first, a role that complements your skillset and, second, an organization that has a great work culture and is supportive of your ideas.
Stagedge is, without a doubt, one of the best companies to work for. At Stagedge, I’ve had the opportunity to take all of my previous experience and apply it. No day is the same, and there’s never a dull moment. It feels amazing to be part of an environment where new ideas are welcomed and encouraged.
--
In this blog post, Jon mentioned some of the amazing events Stagedge has helped produce. Learn more by watching a time-lapse video of Stagedge building a LED wall to wow attendees at a recent event, or by reading about how Stagedge helped global biotechnology company, bioMérieux, take their international event hybrid.