Mary Charleson, MBA, CSP
Mary Charleson is a marketing educator, speaker, author and strategist.
Mary Charleson, is a marketing speaker, educator and strategist. She is the author of two books, Word of Mouth Mouse & Mobile and Five-Minute Marketing, each featuring tips for the time-starved business leader. Mary is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and the Global Speakers Federation. She is one of fewer than 12% of speakers globally who hold the designation of CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), the international measure of excellence for professional competence and proven experience. Mary’s career spans over 20 years in media, advertising and education. She has been a popular marketing instructor at City University of Seattle, NYIT (New York Institute of Technology), Capilano University, Acsenda School of Management, and guest lecturer at UBC Sauder School of Business. Mary has worked with hundreds of business and organizations to improve their marketing efforts through consulting and speaking. A contributor to Business in Vancouver since 2002 and a monthly marketing columnist for the Huffington Post, her work has also been published in the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, the Vancouver Sun, Marketing Magazine, Strategy, Zoomer, Cottage and Outside magazine. Mary is a frequent guest on CBC TV news offering her opinion on marketing and business trends. CBC-2014 Marketing Fails, CBC-2015 Future Shop closure
Mary has also recently launched a new business venture called CarryOnQueen.com. CarryOnQueen.com brings together a community of READERS, WRITERS and TRAVEL COMPANIES united in adventure travel for fun-fit-females, many in their 50s, who pursue authentic, meaningful experiences with friends, a partner, family or solo – always leading the way, and always traveling light. An extension of her passion for writing and travel, she has started to accept speaking engagements from the travel sector – both from a sharing travel experiences perspective, but also advising travel companies, writers and bloggers about best practices in marketing and media. If that angle interests you, contact her through mary@carryonqueen.com
I’m excited to offer speaking both live AND online in this new virtual world we have found ourselves in. Not only can I help you with navigating marketing – including digital platforms you own, social media, publicity and paid content to leverage your efforts for maximum impact, I can keep you informed on trends and changes. Every virtual presentation is customized for your business or industry.
I’ve also recently combined my 20+ years of marketing experience with work as a content creator for the travel sector at CarryOnQueen.com – to help the hard-hit travel and tourism industry market more effectively during these challenging times.
LINK HERE for Virtual Presenter certification and video introduction on eSpeakers. Live presentations are great, but I’ve discovered a new-found passion for virtual. I look forward to working with you to bring unparalleled value and personal connection to your next online event!
Download Mary’s speaker sheet HERE
For a list of clients and projects, visit Mary’s marketing and consulting website at: www.charleson.ca Mary is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) She is the author of two books: Five-Minute Marketing and Word of Mouth Mouse & Mobile. View her CAPS profile here.
TOPIC #1
Think Like a Media Mogul: How to leverage your brand in multiple media channels
This session will introduce the concept of thinking like a media mogul by using owned, rented, earned, embedded and paid media for content marketing. It will focus on the use of your owned media – the stuff you control and produce content for such as e-newsletters and blogs, and explore the use of rented media – broadcast and social media that you decorate as your own, use to engage, but are ultimately a space where the landlord controls the rules. This presentation explores in detail the use of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn as tools for broadcast and engagement in this capacity. You will also learned about earned media – how to get free publicity, and embedded media – how to become a published or broadcast authority using the reach of an established media player like the Huffington Post, CBC or the Globe and Mail. And finally, we round out you strategy with practical ideas on utilizing paid media to further leverage your marketing. You will learn the top 3 reasons why content marketing is critical these days and how to best approach it with a solid strategy. Learn to punch far above your weight and budget using content marketing, and leveraging all media platforms.
The presentation can be customized with examples drawn from a clients industry to really make the content meaningful and actionable for your team. Available as a keynote, or adapted for workshop format, this presentation is available in virtual format as well.
Learning outcomes:
- Learn how to approach social media with a strategy that achieves your goals and doesn’t waste time.
- Learn how to leverage word of mouth and storytelling in your media efforts.
- Gain insights to maximize your free publicity.
- Learn how to use various media and marketing efforts to create community with your customers.
Download presentation sheet HERE
TOPIC #2
Five-Minute Marketing: Tips, trends and takeaways for the time-starved
Mary inspires business leaders to understand trends and generate new ideas to make marketing more effective. Pithy, often irreverent, but never short on actionable insights, information is presented in a compelling and memorable way; through storytelling, research, and in short 5-minute segments on a variety of marketing topics. After gaining insights on the challenges that a business or industry is facing, Mary selects a series of 5-Minute Marketing insights to meet the client’s specific needs, while considering current market trends and opportunities. Tired of other speakers losing your audience after the first 5 minutes? The unique 5-Minute segment structure of Mary’s approach keeps even the most attention deficit challenged audiences alert and ready to put insight into action!
Constantly updated with insights from Mary’s marketing blog www.fiveminutemarketing.com and her popular weekly e-newsletter, this dynamic audio and video rich presentation can stand alone as a keynote, or be modified for a breakout session or workshop. For smaller groups Mary uses a gamification approach, allowing participants to select the material and order that it is presented in a fun and memorable way. This presentation is also available in virtual format.
Download presentation sheet HERE
TOPIC #3 (New material!)
Digital Transformation Trends: finding marketing opportunity during the pandemic
The pandemic has caused considerable shifts in consumer behavior, and demanded a digital transformation for many businesses. This presentation will consider the top 10 consumer trends that will continue to have an impact post pandemic. We’ll explore specific tactics to re-evaluate the customer journey in 2021, with an emphasis on finding opportunity in the gaps while leveraging digital tools and social media, to adapt and thrive. We’ll address digital marketing best practices, as they continue to evolve with shifting consumer values and behavior in the Covid-19 environment.
This presentation can be done as a keynote with interactivity and Q&A at the end, or it can be adapted for break-out sessions and discussion in a longer workshop format. Each presentation is customized to be relevant to your industry, so examples and actionable concepts are meaningful for your attendees. This presentation is available in virtual format.
Learning outcomes:
- Gain an understanding of changes in consumer behavior during and post pandemic
- Utilize top consumer trends for 2021 to gain insight into opportunity for your business or industry
- Re-evaluate each step of the customer journey with a pandemic and post pandemic trends lens
- Explore new ways to communicate your message and core competency during Covid-19 utilizing digital platforms
- Understand how to adapt new best practices for social media during these challenging times
2021 Marketing Trends – Virtual Presentation segment
Re-evaluating the Customer Journey in 2021 – Virtual presentation segment
TOPIC #4 (New material!)
Customer Service as Marketing
Customer service is now a major part of marketing, since customers increasingly own our message and share it with others through word of mouth – both online and off. This means that online and in person interactions matter more than ever.
During the pandemic however, we have seen dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour, with many interactions having gravitated to an online and digital environment. Managing the customer experience in this new environment has caught many businesses unprepared. This presentation will explore the fundamentals of exceptional customer service in this new environment, as one of the best marketing practices you can implement right now.
We’ll look how the customer journey has shifted during the pandemic, what changes are apt to remain permanent, and ways to validate pinch points in customer interactions, with an eye on finding opportunity in the new gaps. We’ll also explore ways to maximize the positive impacts of customer interactions, as well as leveraging online platforms to support staff efforts. Customer “touch points” before, during and after purchase will be framed from the new modified in person perspective and virtual online lens. And we’ll drill down into industry segments to find customer service opportunities that not only maximize retention efforts, but ensure existing and new potential customers continue to be strong brand ambassadors for you in their communities.
Expect a presentation that includes current marketing trends during the pandemic related to customer service and best practices, and some creative inspiration from both inside and outside your industry, to challenge your thinking.
This keynote can be delivered with Q&A at the end, or as an extended time workshop where attendees can roll up their sleeves and participate in group exercises to generate ideas that will put best practices to work for your business or industry. This presentation is available in virtual format.
Learning outcomes:
- Explore each step in the customer journey with a pandemic lens, to ensure exceptional customer service
- Re-evaluate your communication channels to ensure you are where your customers are
- Understand the importance of showing empathy and being authentic right now, as a way to connect on a human level with customers during the pandemic
- Learn new ways to leverage customer experience and brand story, so customers do your marketing for you
- Understand how to adapt new best practices for social media during these challenging times
TOPIC #5 (new material!)
Social media content marketing for travel agents: secrets to fueling your sales funnel
This presentation will illustrate the power of leveraging word of mouth and customer delight as part of your social media content strategy, while uniquely positioning your agency as an indispensable travel resource. You’ll learn how to go beyond basic posting across platforms, to earning user generated content and leveraging free marketing through publicity. It all starts with understanding your target audience, selecting the right platforms, and then creating content that genuinely fuels all stages of the sales funnel.
The pandemic has ravaged the tourism industry, and fundamentally altered consumer behavior forever. But travel and its promise gives consumers hope. Now, more than ever, travel advisors are in a unique position to help clients navigate changing regulations, safety measures, insurance questions, and the messy business of uneven re-openings – all on top of destination research. And yes, you are delivering hope.
Using these insights and a very human centred approach to social media content strategy will help you leverage user generated content, peak moments, experiential marketing, influencers, and reviews/rating/comments as part of your content plan. We’ll take you through numerous travel and tourism examples, and then offer you an opportunity checklist with these tactics in mind, to maximize your social media and communications strategy.
This presentation can be customized to emphasize a deeper dive on any of the following platforms depending on client needs: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn or Pinterest.
Packed with actionable insights, and entertaining examples, Mary brings a unique perspective to this topic as both a marketing and media expert at www.fiveminutemarketing.com and as a travel writer and content creator at www.carryonqueen.com
To learn more about customized learning content created for the travel agent community, be sure to check out Mary’s course “How to Use Social Media to Grow Your Travel Agency”
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“I can’t thank Mary Charleson enough for being a keynote speaker for WPN Bellingham. Our group of professional women was thrilled with her presentation. Not only did she customize it specifically for us, she also delivered excellent, usable information that we could apply to our businesses that same day. Mary is a media and marketing expert and she was savvy enough to leave the jargon at home and really speak to us in layman’s terms. We’ve already had requests to have her back.” – Jessica Renner, Speaker Chair, Womens Professional Network Bellingham
“Mary’s presentation got everyone thinking of how the power of word-of-mouth is amplified by word of mouse and mobile in the digital age. Rich with compelling, real-life examples, Mary’s presentation reflets her highly attuned perspective on how an organization’s reputation is built or broken by the way stakeholders interact with its brand.” – Victoria Miles, Conference Chair, Canadian Association of Communicators in Education
“Our team took some great ideas away and we’re already using them for our trade show next week and an event at the end of the month.” – Michael Drake, Director of Sales, Tourism Vancouver Meetings & Conventions, International/Canada
“Many thanks for the excellent presentation on how to leverage our media for marketing. Judging by the note takers during the presentation there was some keen interest.” – Henry Walthert, Executive Director, Wood Preservation Canada
“Mary is an engaging and dynamic speaker whose presentations on marketing and sales are entertaining and content-rich. When we featured Mary as a speaker at a marketing event, our audience was very diverse, yet we were delighted at how relevant she made marketing trends and tips to everyone. Mary GETS it – she has a solid grasp of how marketing works, and she is particularly adept at communicating in a clear, simple and convincing way. Her passion for her industry shines through in her speeches. We were impressed with her authentic, personable approach and her broad expertise and examples across the marketing landscape.” – Gail Tibo, Peter Legge International Institute of Sales Excellence Presentation Series Chair, Principal at Incisive Marketing
“Mary has a knack of conveying marketing concepts in a fun way, through real-life examples, videos, and anecdotes for our clients at Small Business BC. She is always ready to address questions, tailor responses, and conjure up relevant tips, thereby demonstrating her expertise on the topic.” – Leo Chow, Education Services Manager, Small Business BC
“Mary has great knowledge of marketing and media that she shares in a compelling way with business audiences. Her message resonates particularly well with entrepreneurs who are looking to leverage their efforts for maximum impact with minimum expenditures.” – Cathy Kuzel, Chair, The Connected Woman
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Reframing Relevance in Uncertain Times: Small Business BC April 2020 – Virtual Presentation
13 Pandemic Consumer Marketing Trends: finding opportunity during Covid19 / A virtual presentation for The Grand Connection Nov 20, 2020 to 100+ global attendees (presentation at the 00:32:50 – 1:08:00 mark)
Finding Opportunity in 13 Pandemic Digital Marketing Trends | Deep Dive – a follow up discussion Dec 19, 2020 to allow attendees of the Nov 20 event to dig deeper into business examples
The links below show a series of video examples for Mary’s “5-Minute Marketing” keynote content.
Five-Minute Marketing: We are all connected
Five-Minute Marketing: Content is King, but creating community is Queen
Five-Minute Marketing: Disruption
Five-Minute Marketing: Make your message sticky
Five-Minute Marketing: Going Private in Public
Five-Minute Marketing: Word of Mouth
Five-Minute Marketing – full length keynote
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Contact Mary at 604-720-5607 or email mary@charleson.ca to discuss your specific speaker requirements. This session can be presented as a stand alone keynote, or modified for a breakout session or workshop format.
Fiveminutemarketing.com was thrilled to be nominated for the Top 10 Social Media Blogs 2017 by Social Media Examiner. Here’s what a few folks had to say in submitting their nomination:
I nominate Mary Charleson’s www.fiveminutemarketing.com for the 8th Annual Social Media blog awards. In the past year alone Five Minute Marketing has explored such topics as brand trust in the new economy; the personality of grand brands; and what happens when beer commercials choose reckless over responsibility. One of her most thought-provoking posts of the year followed on the heels of the Trump election victory, as she delved into a world of frustration tuned out by the mainstream media–and its audiences. The writing is tight, smart and to-the-point, and Mary sticks to her five-minute promise so you can get on with your day a little savvier than you started. – Victoria Miles
I would like to nominate www.fiveminutemarketing.com. Mary Charleson and her blog arrive without fail every week and I always look forward to reading it. She offers great, down-to-earth tips and her material is often current with the days news, or with what’s happening in her life. When it comes to a blog which offers value, Mary is simply the best. – Kathy Lynn
There are many blogs that inspire, educate, infuriate … *smile* that i consider worthy of a nomination. My preference? Mary Charleson’s Five MInute Marketing www.fiveminutemarketing.com Relevant, applicable information delivered as if she were sitting across from you with a coffee in her hand and you were the only person she was speaking to. – Cathy Kuzel
I nominate www.fiveminutemarketing.com. From a content standpoint, I always find this blog thought provoking and very well written. Beyond that, it has actionable ideas I can apply in my own business–that makes it particularly valuable. One of the many bonuses is that there are references to current examples of creative marketing ideas, including videos that I always feel compelled to watch (interesting examples that link directly to the content of the BLOG). And . . . because it comes out on Sunday, it is the only BLOG of the many I subscribe to that I always have time to read! – David Gouthro
I nominate Mary Charleson’s blog Five Minute Marketing http://fiveminutemarketing.com. She offers fascinating insights on up-to-the-minute trends. I get the sense Mary has a rapidly growing following who appreciate her personal touch and useful advice. It’s like having coffee with a smart, funny friend who wants to help you understand trends and grow your business. – Karen Spiers
I would like to nominate Mary Charleson and her fiveminutemarketing.com Mary is always relevant in a world inundated with route marketing. Mary is current, relevant and when she suggests it is customizable to gain your own voice with her suggestions. I look forward to her blogs and articles. She is a must follow for me. – Sydney Scott
I vote for http://fiveminutemarketing.com which always has practical content with useful lessons to apply to almost any business. In particular, I find the insights from current marketing campaigns and ideas on how to apply those learnings for greater success most relevant – and the blogs are always user friendly, written in plain English. – Collene Hansen
I nominate Mary Charleson at www.fiveminutemarketing.com Her weekly blog is informative and always has a new marketing twist delivered in a brief, interesting way. – Ed Daley
I strongly nominate Mary Charleson’s blog: www.fiveminutemarketing.com. It is very easy reading and the contents are relevant and relatable. Mary uses a story-telling style and relates everyday incidents and up-to-date company examples to come up with “lessons learned”! My weekend coffee is never complete without reading the fiveminutemarketing.com blog. Start reading it and you’ll get hooked as well! – Tess Ireneo-Manalo
I nominate Five Minute Marketing Tips from Mary Charleson from BC, CANADA. Her information is very current, useful to independent business owners who manage their own marketing content to those working in organizations with a huge marketing department. Everyone can learn about buying or earning social media. Plus her tips are provided is in small chunks of easy to read info every Sunday morning – like clockwork! – Patricia Lalonde
For consistent, timely and pertinent information with marketable ideas every week I nominate fiveminutemarketing.com – Jay Daley
