Digital Marketing / Communications / Sales

Melinda Gipson

*** ******** ***. **, ********, VA 20175 t 703-***-**** t ac1qbf@r.postjobfree.com t @DM2PRO

Senior-Level Digital Marketing / Communications Pro

Entrepreneurial, innovative multi-media communicator with extensive business development experience in highly competitive markets. Experienced in consultative sales, marketing and internal communications devoted to client satisfaction and teamwork. An inspirational change agent with experience in for-profit corporate, non-profit membership and faith-based organizations. A marketer’s marketer, edits the DC Ad Club blog, The Voice.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Advocacy Communications, PR, Presentation Creation, Speechwriting & Public Speaking

Community/Audience Building Strategic Planning & Positioning (Loyalty-builder & Brand Champion)

Website, Social Media, Mobile and In-Bound Content Marketing t Content Development and Tracking

Live Webcasting / Blogging / Event and Sponsorship Creation t Local & Network Media Ad Sales

Customer Relationship Building t Staff Skills & Leadership Training

Award-winning Investigative Journalist & Editor t B2B Publishing, Marketing and Branding

Project Planning & Management t Market Research t Audience Segmentation and Development

Non-profit Fundraising, Board Development t Ad-tech & Digital Media Ecosystem Wonk

Digital Marketing Planning & Management

“Beyond the Banner” Commercial Engagement Sales & Execution Specialist (Sponsorship, Branded Content, Video, Webinar, Streaming Video & Other senior-level engagement marketing techniques)

EXPERIENCES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Sabio Mobile February 2016 – July 2017

Introducing Sabio mobile to Political and Advocacy Advertisers (Employee)

Opened the Washington, DC offices of SABIO mobile and closed the company’s first political vertical sale in the first month.

Key Accomplishments:

Building awareness of SABIO mobile’s unique App Sciences technology, and its ability to deliver reach and context for political and advocacy campaigns.

Conducting outreach through co-hosted events and email outreach, building influential relationships and joining key organizations of political consultants and agencies.

Sold and supervised the companies first political campaigns, developing case studies and renewals. Booked podcasts, led training seminars, conducted direct agency outreach.

Won a Golden Reed Award and two Pollie Awards in best technology for get out the vote, best mobile advertising creative and best mobile ad targeting for the 2016 election season.

CONSULTING May 2008 – March 2016

Marketing & Business Development Consultant. Implemented strategic technology opportunities

Key Accomplishments:

Prohaska Consulting (ongoing / contract-based): Provide programmatic business development, industry strategy and marketing consultation. As a branding specialist, helped to develop differential messaging, content marketing and strategic repositioning for a non-profit. Helped launch a yield-management overhaul for a major media company’s online operations.

IAB Education Foundation, evangelized the “triple bottom line” rewards of building a diverse workforce (contract). Spearheaded the search for board members for the IAB’s iDiversity initiative by sharing the business advantages that accrue from helping digital media / advertising companies to better resemble the audience they seek to reach.

1World Online, as senior director of business development and marketing (contract), directed business positioning, restructuring efforts, operations, and premium publisher outreach.

Tech.Co, as VP Marketing and Sales (contract), sold event and media sponsorships to financial and marketing solution providers for the emerging technology sector. Led development of ad opportunities and marketing campaigns focused on unique brand activations at Tech.co’s startup competitions nationwide. Created new advertising and branding opportunities (branded content channels, custom events and event coverage) for advertising targets. Successfully targeted Fortune 500, association and entrepreneurial marketers for showcase sponsorships, ad packages, video series, and branded content.

Conducted key market research with publishers for Boston-based MetaCarta, paving the way for a Nokia acquisition.

Helped Grouptivity propagate its social media sharing services with a half dozen influential online newspaper companies, leading to its sale to Google.

CAMPAIGNLIVE May 2015 – August 2015

Vice President Sales & Marketing

Strategically repositioned this British upstart for entry into the crowded United States B2B marketplace as “the only truly global advertising and marketing” trade publication.

Key Accomplishments:

Spearheaded sales, marketing and awareness of the brand in the US while increasing audience.

Conducted direct email marketing campaigns and sales outreach

Combined US and global advertising opportunities to increase marketing and revenue opportunities.

CARENET November 2013 – July 2014

Vice President Marketing & Communications

Provided strategic communications for ministry that provided help and counseling to women and men facing difficult pregnancy decisions. Supported a network of affiliated centers nationwide offering realistic alternatives to abortion. Led marketing and media outreach to potential donors and in support of affiliated counseling centers.

Key Accomplishments:

Led the management team through an updated strategic plan and rebranding of organization.

Re-launched corporate website, launched an affiliate community website and created a video-based, interactive iPad app for use in counseling clients.

Raised more than $100K in support of app project and drove donors to increase donations for ministry operations.

Led media outreach and fielded requests for interviews, and other media coverage

Moderated social media including Facebook, Twitter, blogs, email and other communications and provided oversight to keyword advertising to burnish CareNet brand, cracking the 10K Facebook followers ceiling.

Managed internal design / creative services.

DIGIDAY June 2009 – November 2013

Vice President Sales & Marketing

Led this upstart media and events company from its earliest days to become the premier channel for digital media and ad-tech marketers to reach senior-level industry decision-makers.

Key Accomplishments:

Produced “beyond the banner” branded content and advertising opportunities including State of the Industry Surveys, which alone generated more than $1MM annually

Created a revenue stream from zero base to more than $4MM for 2013–2014.

Launched video streaming and grew associated revenue and marketing outreach with social media users.

Increased Twitter followers to 30,000 and LinkedIn group followers to 5,000

GATEHOUSE MEDIA October 2006 – May 2008

Internet Strategy & Biz Dev Director

Successfully initiated revenue opportunities previously unattainable to newspaper publishers.

Key Accomplishments:

Helped manage the launch of more than 250 local media websites, positioned to compete for local and national Internet advertising dollars.

Managed marketing and advertising campaigns for the national, corporate Internet brand.

Integrated the company’s Gannet and Morris Communications acquisitions into the GateHouse Internet publishing and digital revenue-driving platform.

Successfully created and launched a national e-commerce platform to address the needs of local and national retail clients, and trained sales teams to propagate the solution throughout the organization. This innovative, search-based shopping service encompassed web, print, email, and even user-generated advertising content.

Centralized sales training for Yahoo! HotJobs, incorporating best practices and consistency of messaging nationwide. Served as GateHouse liaison with the Yahoo! Consortium, Google for Google Print and Adwords.

NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA 1995 – 2006

Electronic Media Director / First Amendment Champion

Principal digital strategist for the newspaper industry for a decade of transformational change, encouraging publishers to focus on implementing technology and interactive marketing opportunities to increase audience and drive revenue. Launched New Media Federation to drive these strategies and was then named “Digital Edge Pioneer,” an annual MVP honor.

Developed multiple successful websites (www.naa.org, www.newsvoyager.com, and www.digitaledge.org). Published scores of white papers and marketing materials for use in propagating local Internet advertising.

Built the first ever national, mobile news gateway nearly a decade before the iPhone.

Created the first-ever national “rollup” audience metric to measure online newspaper audience

Conducted and published seminal “Power User” research to quantify the value of online newspaper readers to advertisers.

Initiated start of New Business Development Task Force to explore new digital media opportunities.

Internationally renowned speaker on “Being Digital” and digital pathways to profit.

Award-Winning B2B Reporter and Editor 1983-1985

Warren Communications News: Communications Daily (international / regulatory reporter), Satellite Week (editor), Commercial Space Bulletin (launched, edited), Multimedia Daily (launched / edited)

Pasha Publications: Space Business News (editor), The Corps Report (launched, edited), multiple books / directories including “Microspace Renaissance” (author / editor)

Paul Kagan: Washington-area broadcast, cable, telecom reporter and editor

Religious News Service Washington Bureau Chief (Founded DC Bureau for RNS) 1981-1983

EDUCATION

IAB DIGITAL SALES ADVANCED PROGRAMMATIC TRAINING 2015, IAB Digital Sales Certification 2016

LEADERPOINT INSTITUTE THE EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE 2008; UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM 2003

EXECUTIVE MBA AMERICAN UNIVERSITY 2000 (also teaching Kogod’s inaugural class on Internet Marketing & Advertising)

MSJ NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 1980

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN LITERATURE AND FRENCH WHEATON COLLEGE 1979

Contact this candidate