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V O L . X X V I I I N O. V I M A R C H 2 1 , 2 0 2 2 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E counties through its Community Debit Card Program, providing meals for stu- dents in Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, Saco, Scarborough, South Portland and Westbrook. Hope Acts, a nonprofit in Portland that provides housing, English classes and other resources to support immigrants as they transi- tion to life in the Greater Portland area, announced it was awarded four grants totaling $42,500 from Maine Initiatives, Maine Community Foundation, Maine Health Access Foundation and Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust. Bank of America announced a $50,000 donation, translating into 150,000 meals, to Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine to address food insecurity in the region. The city of Portland said it selected EVGo as its partner to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure on city-owned property. Principal Hospitality opened The Federal, a hotel at 10 Water St. in Brunswick. Providing comprehensive media and communication strategies, playbooks, and related services to corporate clients for over 35 years. Serving Maine and Surrounding Areas 207-542-8741 nappamedia@msn.com êêêêê " I've never seen anyone like Nappa in terms of his ability to communicate, close big-ticket projects and deliver the goods. He's a true marketing and communications talent." — Charlie White Bayview Financial Advisors AWARD-WINNING MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS AND ENDORSEMENTS Schedule your FREE CONSULTATION between now and December 31st, 2021. As a business leader, you know that the hardest climb isn't Denali or even Everest. It's the CEO's life long leadership journey. But you don't have to go it alone. You can travel with an experienced guide who knows the lay of the land and an elite team of peers who've got your back. And with that kind of support, the sky's the limit. When you're ready for the climb of a lifetime, the path starts here. Learn more • Contact George Casey • Vistage Chair 207-869-5491 • george.casey@vistagechair.com • vistage.com/chairs/george.casey Find out how you can go further and higher. A S K AC E A n s w e r e d b y S u s a n G o l d , o f S u s a n G o l d C o a c h i n g The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a non-profit association of independent consultants who value "Success through Collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Q: With so much marketing innovation out there, what do I do? ACE Advises: Voice search. Hyper-targeting. Artificial intel- ligence. Geo-fencing. Data and marketing technology are exploding. There's so much opportunity to augment our marketing toolbox these days, but so little time to step back and think about what we are really trying to accomplish. The world of digital marketing has become super-hot, but also super-specialized (and super-confusing). How do we know whether something is a distracting shiny object or if it represents a real opportunity to gain more insights, be more efficient or create more touchpoints? Setting up a new digital platform costs time and money. Why would you spend either if the platform doesn't get you where you want to be? Before we adopt a new marketing technology, it's important to address the basic foundation of your marketing strategy: Who are the Ideal Customers that value what you do, are a good fit for your company and are willing and able to pay for that value? What do you say to your Ideal Customers to engage them? Do you speak to their current day pain points? What is your com- pany's impact? Is your value differentiated? Where is your marketing messaging showing up? Are you using the right marketing channels? Where are your decision makers? The key is to go where they are. Once you have your strategic foundation of your who, what and where in place, then you can consider what tools you need to advance your marketing efforts. The latest in marketing technology may help you get there but having your basic strategy in place can help minimize the distrac- tion of shiny objects. Susan Gold of Susan Gold Coaching brings her four decades of business and marketing expertise to business owners who want to grow or attract their aspirational client types, but don't know where to start. She is based in the Portsmouth, N.H., and can be reached at susan@susangoldcoaching.com For more on this topic, check out Susan's recent post on the ACE blog at consultexpertise.com/blog @

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