Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn Rayner.
Hi Carolyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started Full Circle Marketing Services back in 2010. I owned an Advertising Agency for 25 years with my sister and she had gotten married and moved away, so we both decided to sell our agency and break off and start our own firms. I started my firm during a recession, so my idea was to start a Marketing and Advertising firm that would serve companies that did not have the luxury (or money) to hire a full-time Marketing Director and all of the support staff that goes along with that. I had 25 years of experience working with some of the largest brands in the world including American Airlines, Motorola, Sprint, Frito Lay, Coca-Cola, Fujitsu, and NEC. I also had vast experience with helping small to mid-sized companies grow their companies by initiating new branding campaigns, positioning firms for mergers and acquisitions, for selling their businesses, or taking their businesses to the next level. My business model was to be their “Marketing Director” and their “Marketing Department” and I still have that model today. I have helped endless clients with Marketing strategies, branding, and sales development strategies while implementing social media, websites, digital marketing, and public relations.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running your own business is never a smooth ride; however, I had worked out the early obstacles with my first business, the advertising agency, so my second business was much smoother. The hardest aspect was doing everything myself when in my previous business, I had a staff of excellent people. So, I realized early on that partnering with the best of the best was the way to go! I reached out to my network and found the best of everything from graphic designers, web designers, writers, photographers, SEO experts, printers, social media experts, videographers, and everything in-between. I have a great network. Every client that I work with gets my full-on attention to detail and I coordinate every aspect of the project whether it be a branding campaign, a new website, a social media campaign, or an event-I am hands-on, every step of the way so my client never has to lift a finger and is assured that everything will come off as a success!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business is all about Branding my clients’ business, helping them recognize their brand personality, and reflecting that personality in everything they do, whether is be a logo, website, literature, email marketing, social media, digital media, advertising, or PR. I use my extensive big brand experience to help brand smaller to mid-sized companies. What sets my business apart from others is that I take a personal interest in each clients’ business. That is, I get to know their industry, their business, their goals, their strategy, their pain points, their target audience, and I help by putting together a strategy and action plan to their success. My greatest success is their success and I have clients that have worked with me for over 25 years. That is the greatest achievement is relationships that last decades.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
Starting a new business is always a risk and I started mine during the Great Recession when companies were laying off staff and cutting expenses. The first thing companies generally cut during hard times is marketing and advertising. After being in marketing for so many years and seeing the economy ebb and flow, I knew that regardless of the current economic times, companies would still need to maintain a branding presence and I could help them with that without having to hire full-time help. I worked closely with top management to help them formulate a branding strategy that would keep their brand alive and actually strive during hard times. I also worked with my client’s sales team to keep them motivated and on-brand with their communications with customers and clients. One of the most important things in marketing is to have a consistent message to clients and customers, both internally and externally and I worked with my clients to make sure that they had a consistent branding message in all marketing and advertising outlets.
Contact Info:
- Email: carolyn@fullcirclemarketingservices.com
- Website: www.fullcirclemarketingservices.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FullCircleMarketingServicesLlc
