New Name + New Services: Welcome to WE INC. Marketing
I’ve been planning this for years–today we announce WE INC. Marketing, a different kind of agency featuring new services and a fresh perspective on marketing for nonprofits. Thank YOU for being a part of our community and for taking the time to learn more about who we are and where we’re headed.
In 2015, I became a marketing consultant after leaving the de Young Museum where I served as Interim Director of Marketing & Communications. It was a tumultuous time at the museum. Working long hours and under a lot of pressure, after years of trying I finally became pregnant for the first time and then suffered a miscarriage. I realized I desperately needed a break and considered leaving arts marketing behind to make a major career pivot and become a realtor. Then Kevin Causey called to ask me to work on marketing and advertising for the Saint Francis Foundation at St. Francis Memorial Hospital. I began to pick up other clients including SFMOMA, where I served as Interim Director of Marketing & Sales, preparing for the reopening of the Museum after a major building expansion project that lasted several years.
I worked hard in 2016 supporting several clients (some of whom are still with us today like the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University) and my husband and I welcomed our first daughter at the end of the year. By then, I knew I wanted a different kind of lifestyle and work that allowed me to be with my new baby, continue to contribute financially to our growing family, fulfill my own career aspirations, and take better care of myself. I started Kara Whittington Marketing and Communications and my services began to take off.
And it was with this commitment to finding my own “work/life balance” formula that I am evolving my business again and launching WE INC. Marketing.
At WE INC. we do good while also taking good care of ourselves and those we love. We support organizations that are making a difference and we do it in a way that might feel a bit different than what you’re used to. We deliver top quality work, but we work smarter not harder. We don’t squeeze in a few more minutes of work when our kids are sleeping. We don’t work weekends or pull all-nighters. We show up for our kids, volunteering in their classrooms and chaperoning field trips. We show up for our friends and our families and we prioritize ourselves, making sure we get the rest and recreation we need to be at our best. We take care of ourselves so we can show up at our best for you and your cause.
I know this sounds different and you may be skeptical. But the burnout, grind culture we’re all familiar with isn’t good for any of us and, counter to what you’ve been conditioned to believe, it doesn’t make us more productive. The way we work today makes us less efficient, less effective, and less resilient. In my case it was a recipe for disaster. Six years ago I was diagnosed with autoimmune type one diabetes, and four years ago I found out I had celiac disease.
Now I start my day with a yoga and meditation practice rooted in gratefulness. I start by being curious about how the day will unfold, not by dreading what’s to come. I work with women who can show up for themselves and their friends and family in the way they choose to. The women of WE INC. enjoy working together because we share the same values and WE can deliver great results because we’re centered and healthy, not stressed and overwhelmed.
WE INC. Marketing is growing and expanding our services. We’re changing to adapt to the needs of our clients and to the trends in the nonprofit marketing industry. We are still offering our core services–strategic and tactical marketing planning and implementation, owned channel marketing strategy (organic social, email marketing, website/e-commerce strategy, and content marketing); media buying across traditional and digital channels, pricing consultation, performance marketing, analytics and ROI/ROAS analysis.
And now we are offering a whole lot more. An expanded crew of experienced women are ready to deliver the following new services:
We’ll make sure your website shows up in search results for the audiences you want to engage with, improving traffic to your site and conversion rates.
We’re now poised to support nonprofits facing budget constraints, but who still need marketing expertise in-house. Fractional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) or Marketing Directors are experienced marketing executives who will help you and your team part time. They can set strategy, draft a marketing plan, work with other senior executives on institutional initiatives, and coach junior staff. A Fractional CMO can also provide interim leadership for your marketing team while you search for a permanent position. And, if you just need a marketing plan for the year or campaign strategy, we can do that, too.
While we wait for your call, we’ll be doing our best to deliver phenomenal results while staying sane and taking care of ourselves and those who matter to us, and to be the change we want to see in the world.
With immense gratitude,
