Common sense communications consulting

Hi. I’m Renee McGivern, president of Spark Plug Consulting. I build your organization’s capacity to get noticed, generate revenue, and grow through digital marketing, content strategy and social strategy tied to your business goals.

My areas of expertise:  Marketing communications • Digital marketing • Content strategy • New website project management • Writing, editing, interviewing • Media relations.

Types of Clients

  • An engineering firm contracted with me to guide a website redesign project. With a key leader and subject matter expert in the firm, we selected the web developer; collected photos; identified key messages and services; wrote and edited content; trained another subject matter expert to write blog posts, and stayed in constant communication with the web developer to keep the project on track.
  • An entrepreneur with a new product needed a website redesign. With a small team, we developed a content strategy and I worked with a graphic designer, web developer, and videographer to rebrand the company and make the product’s value proposition clear. The site is generating lots of industry buzz. We’re now developing a content marketing plan that is tapping into direct mail, an e-newsletter, LinkedIn, sales calls and event exhibits.
  • A professional society hired me as its interim director while searching for a new leader. Within four months, we completed a fall conference for members, secured a $100,000 pledge from a donor, and tried out a new content strategy for a new e-newsletter. I continue to work with this organization on building its capacity to generate revenue.

More examples

  • An association needed a content strategy for its website. I worked with the executive director to develop personas, review page analytics, conduct a content audit, and edit the content. We met a looming deadline for this redesign project and I also initiated a digital news digest that generated an average open rate of 34%.
  • An association tapped into my radio background, contracting with me to facilitate webinars for members. I interacted with the subject matter experts, wrote marketing information, and kept everything on track and on time, both before and during the webinar. This freed up the director of training so she could concentrate on developing new programs.

And how about these?

  • An association asked me to to help with a website redesign. Their site lacked content and focus.  I developed a content strategy that was hyper-focused on members and designed to increase the associate member base through the website and a new digital newsletter. During the worst economic downtown in years, the organization’s associate member base grew and supplied a new and steady revenue stream. Recently, we initiated a public and media relations strategy for promoting members’ key product via a blog, case studies, direct mail and local media visits.

Spark Plug Consulting Communications Framework

Empathy is at the heart of my collaborations with clients. Let’s design a content and marketing strategy that supports your business goals. And then we’ll choose tools that fit: Website/blog, e-newsletters, social media, press releases and media visits, images/video, trade shows, or direct mail.

Learn more on the Examples and Testimonials pages.