marketing & communications consulting

keep it simple, keep it authentic, keep it branded.

who is catherine?

I hold a Masters Degree in Marketing, professional Marketing qualifications (Chartered Institute of Marketing), and I am also trained in Coaching and Mentoring. Read more »

why askcatherine?

I started askcatherine as I want to be able to help small and medium sized businesses, education establishments, creative and not-for-profit organisations with their marketing. Read more »

how does it work?

There are a number of activities that I can undertake, depending on your requirements. You can be as involved as much as you wish at each stage. Read more »

services

I have over 25 years of marketing & communications consulting experience. If you need support with planning or implementing your marketing strategy then I can help you.
Call me on: 022 350 7147 or drop me an email.

The key to a good website is brief, succinct text, good images and excellent SEO (search engine optimisation) – so that your customers can find you.

If you already have a website, I can review it and give you feedback on improving optimisation and content. If you don’t have a website I can develop one for you and write excellent, relevant and compelling content for you.

All organisations should have a strategic marketing plan. A strategic marketing plan will define your short-and long-term goals, clarify your target audience and your key markets, and also identify the resources you need. The strategy will outline the best and most cost-effective channels to use in order to reach your target audience, in addition to building your brand and delivering a marketing strategy that is right for your organisation.

How we do this is flexible. It could be a series of one to one meetings or workshops with key people in your team, or, an initial brief. Whichever route works best you will have a marketing strategy that supports your goals.

Once we have an agreed strategy I will develop an operational plan for you. This will identify the resources required and provide key dates for implementing the plan, in addition to outlining what success looks like!

Everyone talks about the importance of ‘Social’ and how crucial it is for connecting with your customers.

Defining your target market will help determine which platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business, LinkedIn or TikTok) are right for reaching and growing your target audience. Authenticity is key for building trust in your brand. This is done through storytelling, engaging with your followers and prospective customers so that they get to know your brand.

Setting up your social media can also take time to get right, I can set up your social media accounts or if you already have them, ensure you have the best possible presentation and bio. I will show you what makes a really engaging post. This will include which tone of voice to use, which hashtags you should be using and the types of images that should be used.

If you don’t have time I can manage your accounts for you, making posts on your behalf and engaging with your followers. This is something I do for a number of my clients and they have seen their engagement grow quickly.

Advertising on social media can provide some quick wins and can be far more cost-effective than taking out an advert in the newspaper or a magazine but that doesn’t mean we need to rule out the traditional media. Advertising helps build your brand and can drive traffic to your website. Social media campaigns allow you to target a specific audience and build up your followers. We can discuss your goals, who your audience are and how we can best reach them with your given budget. Then we can develop and plan a campaign that works utilising the most suitable media.

Writing effective copy is a real skill. You need to really understand your audience and their needs. Additionally, you need to ensure ‘key words’ are incorporated in any on-line text to ensure search engine optimisation. I can write convincing and persuasive copy that tells your story and strengthens your brand. We can discuss what you want to achieve with the written word and decide the best way to do this within your budget.

I work with a number of professional people and can offer end to end solutions for you. This means you only have to work with 1 person – me!

testimonials

Catherine manages our branch Facebook page and we have been able to provide news to our wider community through this channel, increased our followers and increased our general interaction with people with diabetes in the Waikato.

Murray Dear Chair, Diabetes NZ Waikato Branch.

Catherine recently tutored me on Instagram and how to better utilise Facebook for marketing purposes. The 2 hour session covered how to build a musical following on Instagram while gaining insights into my audiences. Catherine taught me how to maximise my personal Facebook and business page for best exposure and strategies on timing and content, for more effective engagement with my online audience. In only a few weeks, my following is increasing on Instagram and this will offer more interest and support during upcoming tours.

Nicky Moran Itinerant Gospel musician, Singer/songwriter

For the release of my album AWA I asked Catherine to help me with marketing and communications. She assisted me in the redevelopment of my website and advised appropriate social media engagement. After six months the results are very encouraging: huge growth of my fanbase on social media and a measurable brand recognition. Because of this, I am now able to proceed with exciting collaborative international projects. Highly recommended!

Maciek HrybowiczMusician & Music Producer at maciekmusic.com

Catherine presented as a guest speaker at our Adult Evening Class and helped us understand social media analytics and hashtags, amongst other things. Her knowledge of the subject was evident and she was able to provide insights into a number of things that we, as business owners coming to grips with social media, found invaluable. I would highly recommend ‘Ask Catherine’ for any business owner seeking to better understand the fast-paced world of social media.

Grere CoutieTutor, (Building Your Brand With Social Media) Adult and Community Learning, Fraser High School

I cannot thank Catherine enough for the professional and thorough service that she provided. She was very easy to work with and made lots of suggestions as to how could improve my FB and Instagram accounts. She provided the photos and re-wrote my information to make it readable on the FB and Instagram accounts. I have a great appreciation of the professionalism and time that Catherine spent with me. I would highly recommend her services!!

Diane WorfolkThe Reflexology Room

Catherine has provided me with valuable, specific, timely and insightful advice and content for my online marketing and branding. She brings professional experience and perspective to an area – that of online promotional strategies for musical artists – that is characterised by operators who claim experience and skill that they cannot deliver. Catherine is highly recommended by me.

Trevor Fcomposer and producer DateMonthYear

Catherine is an amazing asset for anyone that’s searching for a social media specialist with exceptional aptitude. She has delivered great results for our brand engagement, extremely proactive and professional. Works seamlessly with our team and is always searching for further success.

Rizbie Yunusvenuefinder.nz

I contacted Catherine to help me create a website for my art business after doing an earlier Instagram marketing course with her. I found her way of teaching easy to understand and she was generous with her time and knowledge. Anything to do with websites and computers are a bit of a challenge for me so I asked for a basic website I could learn to “drive” quickly and update photos etc with ease. I also needed it to have the potential to expand as my confidence in running it grew. Her guidance and professionalism were invaluable and much appreciated.

I have no hesitation in recommending Catherine.

Lyndy Wilson, Contemporary Artist, New Zealandlyndywilson.co.nz

If you feel I can help give me a call or drop me an email and let’s start the conversation!

m: 022 350 7147 /AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND