As emfluence continues to grow and forge new partnerships with more great clients, we realized we were getting stretched a little thin when marketing ourselves and our business. Enter: Natalie Jackson, emfluence’s new Marketing Director. I took some time to chat with Natalie shortly after joining the emfluence team about her background, interests and goals in her new job.
A Novel Approach
Most digital marketers these days get degrees in business, marketing or even journalism. Natalie took a slightly different approach, graduating from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in English, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing. Natalie loves storytelling, she’s completed one full-length novel and is working on her second and has published four short stories including “Lump Sum.” To her, marketing was an easy transition.
“Storytelling is storytelling is storytelling. Good marketing is storytelling, good branding is storytelling, and good sales is storytelling,” Natalie argues, “With marketing, you’ve got to create a narrative. The good news is, when you’re an English major, you spend your entire training in narrative.”
Not only is Natalie a novelist, but she enjoys studying and discussing the art of storytelling. The New Yorker fiction podcast is a mainstay on her work playlist. Every month, accomplished short-story authors read one of their favorite New Yorker short stories of the past. They then break it down and discuss the story in-depth over the course of a 30-minute podcast. Natalie whole-heartedly recommends the podcast to anyone remotely interested in writing and storytelling.
A Fresh Challenge
Before joining emfluence, Natalie has had a wide range of marketing experiences. After completing graduate school at the University of Kansas, Natalie spent some time as an editorial assistant at Anthem Media Group before working as a non-profit Communications Manager for The Shadow Buddies Organization.
The Shadow Buddies Organization worked to create and distribute companions to children with rare medical conditions. There, she got to see first-hand how important storytelling is to organizations, particularly non-profits.
She then moved on to NetStandard, a technology management company, where she worked various marketing roles for just over five years including Marketing Manager. Her experience marketing technology made her a perfect fit not only for the emfluence Digital Marketing Agency but also the emfluence Marketing Platform.
Natalie is excited to embrace the challenges associated with marketing digital marketing services and software. “I am thrilled to be with like-minded people. I am the luckiest marketing director in town because I don’t just get a team of marketing people, I get an entire company of marketing people.”
Family Life
Natalie lives with her husband, Nathan and their two young sons (11 months and three years old) in Overland Park, KS. In her free time, she likes spending time with her family, jumping horses, skiing, fly fishing and of course, writing. She is also currently training for a half marathon. When she’s able to get a moment to herself, she loves reading and analyzing classic and modern fiction.
She’s a particular fan of Ernest Hemingway. “Most people know if they get me in the room with enough cocktails, at some point the conversation will turn Hemingway. I feel he is underappreciated for what he’s done for language,” she adds. “He had the ability to distil a tremendous amount of emotion into a very succinct sentence.”
Welcome, Natalie!
Welcome to the emfluence team, Natalie! We’re so thrilled to have you! Connect with Natalie on Twitter @NatalieOnWire and on LinkedIn.
