Every month, we feature a member of our team here at Main Street ROI. This month, we’re featuring our Marketing Coordinator, Nicole Lisanti.
How did you get into marketing?
I wanted to be a news broadcaster, so when I got out of school I took a job with a Media Direct Advertising company working in their traffic department. It was a simple, entry level job. I collected the times that different “spots”, also known as commercials, were aired. I confirmed air times with broadcast stations throughout the country and then recorded the times for the analysts of the company.
From there, I went to Grey Direct, another advertising company working on a Direct Mail account. I started in the traffic department, working with all the different departments in the company. It was a great experience in which I realized that I wanted to advance and move to the account side where I would deal directly with our clients. As the account executive I oversaw the campaigns from the very beginning of the creative thoughts and ideas all the way through overseeing and then signing off on the print run. When I would get that direct mail piece in my mailbox, I thought it was pretty cool.
I took some time off to start a family and when I was ready to go back to work I was thrilled to accept a position with Main Street ROI. I’ve been with them since the beginning. I’ve watched the company grow and change with the marketing trends. I find it pretty amazing how far the marketing trends have come since I started out in the business, almost 20 years ago!
What do you like most about working with small business clients?
I’m a mom and pop shop supporter. When given the choice, I always buy local. So, naturally I enjoy working with small business clients versus big corporations.
In my experience, an effective marketing campaign starts with the relationship and ends with positive results. With a small business client we get to see the ins and outs of how they run their business which helps to build the relationship. I believe in relationships. I believe that they do not get formed overnight. Relationships need nurturing, attention and support, and working with small business clients allows us to give them the attention and support that they need by tailoring their marketing campaigns to fit their needs, not ours.
What do you like most about working at Main Street ROI?
For a lot of people balancing work and family time is sometimes impossible. I watch mothers at my children’s school trying to juggle work, field trips, doctor’s appointments, activities, sick days and childcare. Main Street ROI offers a flexible schedule which allows me to be the stay at home mother that I’ve always wanted to be. At the same time, I’m able to work. I can set aside time during my day to sit down and do my work and when I need to move things around to go on that field trip or tend to my sick child, I am able to. There is no childcare needed and for that I feel extremely lucky!
I’ve been with Main Street ROI since the beginning, stuffing direct mail envelopes. I have watched Phil & Pete grow this business from a desk in an apartment to a full blown office. Our team has grown from 2 to 3 to 5 to, I can’t even keep track anymore. It has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of this company. I’ve never worked for a company who has cared more about their team, the office morale and their client satisfaction as Main Street ROI does. Family comes first always in their eyes and that is almost unheard of these days. Because of this, we have a group of people who are compassionate and thoughtful team players. We work together, we help each other and most of all we treat each other as human beings.
Main Street ROI is a wonderful place to work and that alone is a really nice thing to be able to say about your job!
What do you like to do outside of the office?
When I’m not working you can usually find me at the gym where I love to box and strength train! I have some amazing gym friends and it’s my outlet. I always feel like I can conquer the world after I pound that bag or lift those weights and kettlebells!
I’m a mom to 2 children and 3 fur babies. They keep me on my toes & fill my life with every emotion in the book! When I’m not working or at the gym, you can find me on the Lacrosse field or in the dance studio! Weekends are family time & we are always trying to find something fun to do & enjoy seeing new sites together. Our favorite place to go is Mystic and just a few weeks ago we visited the Mystic Seaport, which was a wonderful, educational day for us! We got to go on the Charles W. Morgan, which is the last of an American whaling fleet that launched in 1841.
What marketing trend are you most excited about for small businesses (and why)?
I am really into all the social media marketing. Social media is all the buzz these days and it has been for quite some time. It’s absolutely fascinating how much you can learn just by scrolling through Facebook not to mention all the other social media sites. I am really excited to see what social media marketing has in store for us in the coming months and years.
