An interview with Joseph Wildey, Marketing Manager at RSG
We sit down with Joseph Wildey, the Marketing Manager at RSG. RSG aims to apply unmatched research and analytics to inform our clients’ strategy and planning, helping organizations confidently make critical decisions.
How did you end up at RSG, and what problem does RSG solve for its clients?
I joined RSG in 2012 as a business development professional before transitioning to marketing. What initially attracted me to RSG was its inspiring mission. Our work spans various markets and industries, but all my colleagues are dedicated to helping clients shape a successful future. We tackle questions such as: How will travel in a region evolve in 10, 20, or 30 years? To provide answers, our team can collect data and construct models that guide our clients. Another example: What sound levels will a new wind energy project generate in the surrounding community? Our team can measure and models sound to estimate future impacts. A consistent element across all our projects is the unparalleled understanding of data, research, and modeling that we employ to address our clients' challenges.
As the Marketing Manager, what are your main responsibilities at RSG?
Most of what I do on a daily basis is focused on strategically positioning RSG for growth through innovative and effective marketing activities that increase brand recognition in new and existing markets. What I enjoy most about professional services is the emphasis placed on developing a connection with clients. It's all about promoting our people and the innovative work they are doing. I'm always engaged and learning something new through the work I do, which includes writing white papers, developing case studies, and organizing industry events and webinars.
What role does your Marketing team play when it comes to organising, operating and improving your marketing-sales funnel?
Marketing teams should continually optimize their activities by seeking input from others in the organization and by following a plan. Having a marketing plan is essential. That marketing plan should connect to the business plans (or similar) and offer tangible support to the work consultants are doing. By supporting consultants (the sales team) in meeting their goals, marketers contibute to the ability of the company to meet its overall strategic goals and objectives.
At ColdFire, when we look at our clients' Marketing strategies, they vary greatly. Some have found a single, scalable client acquisition process while others thrive on a mix of top-of-funnel strategies. If you had to summarise the high-level LeadGenMarketing strategy of RSG, what would it be?
As a marketer for a professional services firm, I would summarize our high-level revenue-related strategy as focusing on building strong client relationships, delivering exceptional service (focused on the client experience), and showcasing our expertise to drive client acquisition, retention, and growth. Three key elements contributing to our success include: 1. Client-centric approach: We prioritize understanding our clients' unique needs, challenges, and goals. By offering tailored solutions and personalized services, we create long-lasting partnerships that generate repeat business and referrals. 2. Thought leadership and content marketing: We invest in creating high-quality content and sharing our expertise through articles, whitepapers, case studies, and presentations. This helps establish our team as industry experts, attracts new clients, and reinforces our credibility among the clients we work with. 3. Continuous improvement and innovation: Our organization is committed to staying on the cutting edge of industry trends and best practices. We invest in technology, research, and staff professional development to ensure that our services remain relevant and valuable to our clients.
What is a Marketing technique that you've used at RSG or at previous companies which you believe is underutilized at most Marketing teams - and why?
This year I'm focused on empowering individual employees to become advocates for our brand. This will need to become a component of any company's marketing plan going forward. Generative AI is lowering the barrier to entry for content. Anyone using ChatGPT can now pump out an endless stream of content to their channels. It's likely to overwhelm us sooner rather than later. But what is going to win new and repeat clients will be those personal messages. The ones written from and shared by humans who work at your company. ChatGPT has lowered the cost of content but increased the value of each employee's personal brand. It won't be enough for your company to share content. Employees should be empowered to participate in the marketing process, now more than ever. In a world where we'll soon all be inundated with AI-generated content at every click, those human messages delivered by your people are what will win work.
Marketing can happen using combined tools and methodologies. Which has worked better for RSG and why do you think that is?
Marketing is a profession rooted in experimentation. If you take one tool off the shelf and use it, or choose just one methodology or approach, you're likely to fall flat on your face when you execute your strategy. You need to combine things. Again, in the context of professional services marketing, you're focused more on building your reputation through relationships with clients. That often comes through years of working together to solve complex problems. If you put the client first, then the rest falls into place. Let the client's needs govern what tools and methodologies you employ as a marketer. Meet the client where they are.
Has your Marketing team experimented with some kind of cold outbound strategy (like cold email)? If yes what was the general outcome and if no, why not?
As a marketing team, we've not experimented with cold emails for our services. However, I wouldn't rule it out on the product side if we ever go that route.
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