Heather Heiking, Senior Marketing Manager in Gurnee, IL

About

Welcome to my design portfolio! I have been a dedicated and self-driven marketing enthusiast for the past 20 years, specializing in visual communications, brand positioning, product & service launches, market/voice-of-customer research and deliverables, lead generation, content creation, and communications strategy. I love coming up with a captivating message and visuals that set my company apart from the competition. My passion is working with a company brand, their products or services, while structuring marketing campaigns to maintain current customer base, gain new business, and strengthen brand awareness. I am excited to try new things and greatly enjoy collaborating with company leadership on strategic goals for the business while working with other departments and teams to create meaningful content, refine processes, and execute the company vision. What I want most in my career is to accomplish great things. I believe that no one does this on their own...they do it with a team of people.

I am an accomplished marketer having won a total of 20 awards since my career began, which encompass design, communications, metrics, deliverables and growth recognition. I have many years of experience designing and implementing communications plans that are relevant, impactful, drive brand equity and, ultimately, sales. Another focus during my career has been digital lead generation and SQL development, with notable success in digital marketing initiatives that result in web-to-lead-to-sale conversions. I believe in continually growing as a marketing professional and constantly pursuing better design and marketing best practices with the end-goal of reaching the target audience in a remarkable way, all while providing value to the company's bottom line.

Education

MBA Business / Marketing

Benedictine University

2018 - 2021
Bachelors Design/Marketing

University of Cincinnati

1997 - 2003

College of DAAP: Design, Architecture, Art and Planning Minored in Marketing / Advertising
Tipp Highschool

1993 - 1997

Experience

Senior Marketing Manager

PureEdge Lighting

Chicago, IL

Jan 2021 - Present (5 years 5 months)

Responsible for managing product launch strategy and deliverables, print/digital/PR campaigns, events, sales tool development, creative direction, website improvement, advertising, media communications, rich content creation, and social media strategy with a concerted focus on brand building and awareness. Manage a team of creatives, web and product managers to ensure accurate communications and timely deliverables. Ensuring that the PureEdge brand is communicated across all media and communications channels. Responsible for continuous voice-of-customer interviews and surveys, data analysis and recommended call-to-actions for furthered marketing and product development.
Marketing Director

Cadence, Inc.

Wheeling, IL

Apr 2020 - Present (6 years 2 months)

Responsible for company brand and positioning, communications and marketing strategy. Create marketing plan and execute all deliverables while managing a team of designers and vendors. Competitive analysis and VOC/market research to build foundation for annual marketing plan. Manage CRM including data clean-up, client segmentation, and pipeline development. Also responsible for website re-design, case studies, sell sheets, press releases, social media. Goals: to increase brand awareness with current clientele, to generate new leads through digital initiatives and lead gen capture, to launch a new virtual meetings service and grow fabrication business during pandemic.
Marketing Manager

Kenall

Kenosha, WI

May 2014 - Apr 2020 (5 years 11 months)

• Brand development, marketing strategy and segment marketing programs & campaigns
• Campaign messaging that addresses positioning, brand/corporate tag lines and value propositions
• Conduct Focus Groups/market research to gather valuable marketing insights
• Use insights to further develop campaign messaging, advertising, and new product development
• Develop/Direct the creation of “Thought Leadership” content, such as White Papers, Educational Webinars, Case Studies and Videos
• Establish CRM strategy to coincide with campaign development, campaign tracking & reporting
Senior Marketing & Communications Specialist

Dynapar Corporation

Oct 2011 - May 2014 (2 years 7 months)

• Design new, updated sales tools; print pieces, web pages, email campaigns, advertising, digital marketing, white papers
• Responsible for achieving required growth targets via strategic digital marketing plan
• Evaluate performance and ROI of all lead generation activities; implement root
cause/countermeasures to sustain marketing targets
• Responsible for reviewing all Digital Marketing service providers (trade journals, social media,
industry associations, etc.) and negotiate contracts based on Marketing plan and budget
• Manage PPC and SEO : Organic search and keyword analysis, lead generation target reviews,
monitor and adjust Google Ad Words budget spend
• Tasked with implementing lead nurturing capabilities followed by campaign creation and management
• Responsible for designing custom Channel partner marketing campaigns to increase distribution
sales and reinforce Dynapar brand
• Responsible for implementing Lead Nurturing process; managing customer touch points, creating
content, and measuring effectiveness of lead conversions as a direct result
• Tasked with ensuring Dynapar branding, messaging and visual communications consistency
among feedback offices in China, Japan and Europe
Marketing and Communications Manager

scil animal care company

Oct 2009 - Oct 2011 (2 years)

• Grow and manage scil U.S. marketing/design team
• Supports scil Canada with various marketing initiatives
• Create and manage marketing budgets for scil U.S.
• scil Annual Ad Campaign: art direction, layout, production, strategy
• PR manager: press releases, social media marketing, web development
• Sales Promotions: create promotions, tracking & reporting
• Create and implement Brainshark webinars/online presentations
• Product Launches: measurement tactics, competitive positioning, message development
• Graphic Design: brochures, quarterly newsletter, sell sheets, direct mail, fax blasts
• Digital Design: flash web banners, web graphics, email blasts
• Website Development: navigation, image quality, web content, increase traffic
• Event Marketing: registration strategy, direct mail, photography, data tracking
• Trade show marketing: attendee promotions, signage, booth design
• scil Branding: re-branded scil USA, implemented design guidelines
• Provide marketing support for scil's industry partners and distributors
• Initiate and manage charity events for scil and its employees
Marketing Coordinator / Senior Designer

AHMA

Sep 2006 - Oct 2009 (3 years 1 month)

• Creative project management; from concept to completion
• Creative copy writing for print, web and email communications
• Build company brand through integrated marketing campaigns
• Graphic Design: brochures, direct mail, print advertising, sales kits
• Digital Design; flash banners, email design, web graphics
• Create marketing programs that generate leads; tracking and analysis
• Art direction and production of annual advertising campaign
• Manage service providers; photographers, video editors and professional print companies
• Produce video testimonials and shoot photography for trade shows/conferences
• Budget allocation; ensure maximun cost efficiencies for marketing department
Asst. Design Manager / Graphic Designer

Cintas

Aug 2003 - Sep 2006 (3 years 1 month)

• Helped manage the Chicago creative team (8 people)
• Created and implemented internship program for design group; responsible for recruiting every quarter and directly managing interns
• Intern management: recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and mentoring
• Department project management: assigning, requesting status and enforcing deadlines
• Collobrate with marketing managers: interpret strategy to deliver design solutions
• Create print collateral that focused on customer response and increased sales
• Graphic design: brochures, direct mail, posters and sell sheets
• Scheduled, produced and supervised in-house/on-location photo shoots
• Managed vendors such as photographers, stylist, models, professional printers
• Trained in color management, hiring employees, and six sigma practices (Green Belt)

Awards

Hermes Creative Awards Gold Award and Honorary Mention Winner 2007;

Hermes Creative Awards Gold Award Winner 2008;

Marcom Awards Gold Award Winner 2008;

Hermes Creative Awards Platinum and Gold Award Winner 2009;

Industries

Lighting

Skills

Elsewhere on the Web

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On Coroflot

@HeatherHeiking_Marketing, member since 2009

Following 11
Followers 12

Heather Heiking

Creative Director

Industrial Design Project Manager (Fractional / Part-Time)