Ethical marketing consulting for founders that give a damn
Marketing support – consulting, training, fractional – that makes marketing ethical, do-able and enjoyable.
Is your marketing supporting your goals and mission where it really matters?
Marketing doesn't have to be something that feels "icky" and "overwhelming" for you and your team. It's time for purpose-driven startups and brands to step out of the "growth hack bro" marketing tactics that never felt right in the first place.
Ethical marketing is about approaching how you interact with your ideal audience in four ways:
- Socially conscious: aware of the impact your messaging has on your audience and the wider community.
- Permission based: entering into a communication relationship from a place of consent.
- Goal-driven: working towards realistic goals that include impact and advocacy as well as profit.
- Sustainable: everything above organized in a way that honours your time, capabilities and goals.
For marketing to really work for your business or organization, you need a simple but comprehensive (yes, both can be true!) strategy that invites the right people in and guides them along your desired customer journey.
You are putting good into the world. Let me help you articulate that good to as many people as we can!
At the end of the day, this is about so much more than just "posting on socials"
This is about making a clear and lasting connection with your audience.
It’s time to stop putting random things online in the hopes it attracts the right people, and bring it back to the cause behind the content. Once you do that, the results naturally follow.
Marketing that comes from an ethical place is a total game changer
With the right strategy and intention behind your content...
You start attracting better-fit clients, leads, or supporters because your content gives them the information they need and builds confidence in a world rife with white-washing, green-washing and other clearly hollow intent.
You start boosting your visibility and email list growth, keeping website visitors in your online world (instead of losing them to the internet abyss as soon as they click away).
You can kickstart impact (and revenue) thanks to newfound messaging clarity, fresh opportunities to expand your reach online, and a strategy that directly supports your bigger goals.
You have a better understanding of what’s working (and what’s not) so you and your team can focus your precious time, energy, and cash on marketing efforts that move the needle.
“Our calls are the highlight of my week”
I thought my challenge was SEO but Alison highlighted other key
opportunities and important areas of focus for my business, like my email
list. Instead of moving straight to tactics, she aligned all of our work to
help me achieve a bigger marketing vision. Our calls are the highlight of my
week. I feel supported to make bigger impactful decisions, knowing Alison is
there to help me action them.
- Shauna Cole,
Founder, HireDiverse.ca
The best news? You don’t need to outsource marketing (or take another course) to get results
I believe in the passion you bring as a founder, business owner or comms team leader. You and/or your tiny team already have the skills to align your marketing with the impact you seek. What's missing is the right insight and recommendations, and a concrete plan to put them into action.
And that’s where my ethical marketing consulting services come in.
I wouldn’t dream of handing you a recommendations report and then going on my merry way. Through a hybrid of training, consulting, and coaching, my job is to come in and give your team the knowledge, tools, and skills they need to truly OWN your marketing.
"The missing puzzle piece I needed to approach marketing in an ethical way."
From the first time I spoke with Alison, I knew I wanted to work with her. Not only is she charismatic, warm and approachable, but she is the most knowledgeable person I've met when it comes to SEO or marketing.
She was the missing puzzle piece I needed to figure out how to even approach marketing in an ethical way that aligns with my business goals. She also provided me with such incredible insights into ways I could differentiate myself from my competitors and showcase my values.
Every conversation I have with Alison feels like an "aha moment" - the amount of value I've gotten from just knowing her is invaluable!
- Deborah King,
Founder, Global Measure
Hi! I’m Alison Knott (your marketing pal)
As nerdy as it sounds, my activism is taking the good in marketing and using it to help purpose-driven brands put more good into the world.
I've spend the last 11+ years helping founders and small teams take their piece-meal marketing efforts and turn them into impactful systems they (gasp) enjoy working on. And I'd like to do the same for you.
It breaks my heart to see nimble teams doing a bit of this, a dash of that all over the place... but don't see the results they were hoping for. If you’re ready to make marketing a priority internally, I’m your bud.
I’m not here to make you ditch everything you’ve done up until this point, or redo your entire website or drip campaign. Instead, let's build on what you’ve already accomplished, identify new opportunities, and change the world, Darlin!
Trusted By & Featured In
"I came to Alison looking for ways to increase leads to my website using my podcast content."
Although I was posting on social media, I didn’t have enough direction and I was doing the same things over and over again with frustrating results. Frankly, it felt like I was dumping into a black hole.
What I needed was a plan that aligned with my desire for conversation, offered what my audience wants to see and was manageable with my busy schedule as a business owner and mom. That’s where Alison came in.
In my sessions with her, we focused on audience research and reusing existing content. Now I can deliver regular content with less pressure to come up with everything myself. After my sessions with Alison, I had new insights into the world of online marketing and concrete direction on my next steps. Having a clear direction on my path forward has been so valuable.
If you feel like you've been spinning your marketing wheels, work with Alison K. She'll have new treads on those tires in no time. I now have renewed energy to market my business and a much better understanding of how to do it beyond "post on socials."
- Sheryl Murphy,
Owner, Healthy Mom After Divorce
“Clear website marketing strategy”
One of the biggest things Alison helped me with was creating clarity on my target market and speaking more directly to them. AND, being more authentic and letting 'Dagmar' shine through on the pages more. Alison provided a comprehensive report of my website beyond what I could have imagined. I have a clear website marketing strategy to engage my target market and drive my revenue.
- Dagmar Meachem, Business & Leadership Coach
Courage Space Coaching + Consulting
“Made email marketing manageable”
Alison clearly knows what she's doing, especially when it comes to email newsletters. She took what felt like an overwhelming problem, starting an email newsletter from scratch, and gave me clarity on how to know if it made sense as a tool to help me achieve my business goals, broke things down into manageable steps to get the ball rolling, made great recommendations about tools to research and best practices, and was just so easy to talk to. Money well spent!
- Carolyn Crewe, CEO
Best Kind Consulting
“Personally actionable”
I won a one-on-one session with Alison while attending her workshop on email marketing, which was so helpful and insightful in itself. During our meeting, I felt that Alison was truly interested in my personal and business growth, and she asked helpful, insightful questions to help direct me. Plus, she included a follow-up after my event to see how things went and what she could help me with moving forward.
In this digital world of AI and templated tactics, I felt that Alison's advice and direction were personally actionable and the advice tailored to my business needs. I strongly recommend working with Alison and look forward to doing so again in the future!
- Jennifer Bosch Gyuricska
Prairie Telegraph Digital Marketing
My marketing consulting clients have been able to…
- Increase their online inquiries by more than 400%, boosting their website traffic without having to writing a bazillion articles
- Shift their focus to better-fit audiences and start clearly communicating with the people who have a direct influence on their bottom line
- Restructure their website so that it engages their readers and pulls them towards conversion
- Grow their email lists and target them with automated email sequences that deepen the connection and ask for action
- Bridge the gap between plans and actions and refocus on their business goals instead of fruitless marketing activities
I know how important it is that you find the “right fit”
As a founder, you don’t have money to throw around on any old consultant. You need to make sure that whatever choice you make is the right one for you, your team, and your goals.
Here are a few reasons why that’s me.
I swap industry buzzwords for language YOU understand
I make it a point to keep my marketing consulting work jargon-free and approachable. Instead of flexing and impressing you with fancy language, I’m here to adapt industry best practices to your goals and existing knowledge.
I bring the holy trinity of marketing knowledge
My varied background in the areas of web design, content creation, and data means I can advise you on all aspects of your digital marketing needs. From SEO to newsletters to audience research, we can cover it all together (without you having to hire another consultant).
I set you up to be able to live without me (when you’re ready)
My goal is to give you and your team the tools you need to take action on my recommendations on your own. I’ll become a temporary member of your team, move at your pace until you get into the flow, and set you up for long-term success.
I understand (and am flexible to) the nonprofit space
Many of my clientele operate in the nonprofit or social enterprise space. I understand the unique challenges nonprofits face when working on projects. Board approvals, regulatory requirements, limited resources: I'm ready to navigate it all with you and your team.
“I can drill down deeper”
Alison K connected the dots on how we share content to our target audience and measure results. Her consulting really helped simplify our messaging with stronger clarity, both through our website and social media. Her ability to field any technical or mundane questions I had in an encouraging manner helped me drill down deeper into how it all works.
- Ashley Pettipas, Operations & Digital Media Coordinator,
Festival Antigonish Summer Festival and Theatre Antigonish
"Puts your website to work for you"
We are a tiny team with a big heart and a big goal. Alison makes us look like we are a big team with a big heart and a big goal. She understood our 'uncommon' purpose and worked with us to simplify our messaging on our site and newsletters. She's educated our interns and volunteers on a variety of things that helps tell our story and attract the people we need to succeed in our goals. Alison knows her stuff; she has a bright spirit and incredible talent and intuition on how to put your web site to work for you.
- Barry Braun, Founder of The Happy Community Project
Where I can help (my zones of genius)
- Audience Research/Attraction: not to be confused with market research! Find what truly resonates so you create content with purpose in a shorter amount of time.
- Email Marketing: newsletters, drip sequences, and opt ins.
- Operational Optimization: organize internal operations to save you time, money and headaches.
- Reporting & Data Analysis: what gets measured gets managed 😉
- SEO: blogging, best practices, competitive research and outreach.
- Social Media: how to make it fit into your marketing, not be the center of it.
- Strategy: filling the funnel, creating depth, ditching what doesn't serve you anymore.
- Websites as Marketing Machines: messaging and experience improvement, improving conversion.
Where I can't help (my zones of "nope")
- Do-It-For-You: copywriting, graphic design, etc... I recommend hiring a Virtual Assistant to support implementation. I help you steer your marketing ship, but you'll still need a crew to sail her.
- Paid Marketing & Advertising: for Google Ads, social media ads, and other paid techniques I strongly recommend you work with a specialist for best results.
- Technical Troubleshooting: please connect with your platform provider.
- Social Media Management: not my jam.
- Website Redesigns: I no longer redesign websites, or fix/develop them as a technician.
Marketing consulting and fractional CMO packages
Streamline the aspects of marketing that allow you to prosper and grow. Expect a blend of accountability, coaching and training at any given time. And laughter most times (this is marketing, not brain surgery, after all).
Marketing Advisory Call
$500 CDN
This is a concentrated session that gives you the confidence and clarity you need to go from "What the hell do I do next?" to "Done!"
Is your lead magnet or offer not performing as you had hoped? Need a crash course in writing for SEO? Tired of relying on social media? Want accountability in finishing a Very Important Marketing Thing You Keep Putting Off™?
Spend 90 minutes with me and get shit done. Together we'll change/tweak/fix on whatever you're stuck on, in real time, so you leave the session confident, energized and organized.
- 90 minute strategy call on Zoom where we go to town on whatever it is you need
- 30 minute check-in two weeks later to address anything else that came up since we last spoke
Marketing With You Session
$1500 CDN
When you need a marketing expert co-collaborating with you on deep thinking, strategy, and implementation... but you don't have time to make it a "big project".
Well then, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work! This 1/2 day session is a combination of consulting and implementation to tackle deeper work.
- Questionnaire so I have advanced insight to make the most of our session.
- Up to 5 hours of a combination of consulting (you and I doing the work) and implementation (I do extra bits for you).
- Either virtually on Zoom or in-person in North End Halifax
- Delicious treats to keep us fueled as we work together!
Marketing Audit & Action Plan
from $2,500 CDN
Get expert insight on where you need to take your marketing next, with support to make it happen.
I’ll use my marketing-, data-, and design-informed brain to look at your marketing and identify which changes we can make to turn it into something sustainable and powerful. We’ll consider what you've been putting out publicly, while also looking “behind the scenes” at your goals, funnels and strategy to give you deeper insights into how you can reach your ideal audience more effectively. Includes:
- 1 hour kickoff meeting to dive deeper into your needs ahead of the audit.
- Multi-page strategic Audit/Action Plan outlining findings, gaps, opportunities and 5-7 recommended next steps. Warning: this thing is juicy!
- 2 hour strategy session to discuss results and help you prioritize what to do next.
- Weekly 1-hour accountability or training sessions can be added upon request (1, 3, and 6 month options)
Done With You Fractional CMO Retainership
from $3,000/month CDN
You work hard to put good into the world. And you're ready to let someone in to help manage it.
A Fractional CMO allows founders to shift focus to overall company vision and strategic planning, while a trusted partner manages the day-to-day marketing operations.
- Weekly or bi-weekly 60 minute Zoom sessions to advise and continue momentum on marketing related strategy and tasks.
- Up to 15 hours a month for project management, research, design, content creation, and copywriting.
- Monthly written reports and KPI tracking.
- Priority email response.
This package is a 3 month minimum commitment, ideal for startups generating $200k+ in revenue
SEO Audits & Consulting
I’ll work with you and your team to leverage SEO as a way to build your brand and get in front of people when and where they’re actively looking for your cause or services. While most SEO advice out there is targeted for product and e-commerce companies, I translate best practices to your business. Keeping things jargon-free, specific to your situation, and never, ever templated. Learn more about SEO consulting.
Ready to get started?
If it sounds like we might be the perfect fit, I invite you to book a 30-minute complementary consultation with me.
Bridging the gap between doing and measuring
A Case Study: Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre and Antigonish Theatre
Background
Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre and Theatre Antigonish (FAST/TA) offers live theater that is both professional and community theatre. It is the only professional theater company in the region of Northeastern mainland Nova Scotia. Their project priorities were:
- Grow their online presence to attract a larger and more diverse theatre audience.
- Identify and begin to use tools, analytics and trends to monitor results of changes they made in marketing.
- Understand what a reasonable metric is for their efforts in a post-Covid world.
Audit
FAST/TA already had strong social and organic reach locally. But who else was missing out on their great performances? The audit revealed trends and opportunities to serve the ‘Emerging Patron’: people who consume other visual/audio arts but were not yet attending theatre.
The ‘doing’ of messaging was already a well-oiled machine, but how did they know it was translating into ticket sales? The audit revealed opportunities to more closely link from social and newsletter campaigns to the site and track through to their 3rd party ticketing system.
Action
Tasks to help meet objectives included:
- Defining and strategizing messaging between their existing audience and the new ‘Emerging Patron’
- Google Business Profile (formally Google My Business) optimization
- Adding measurement of campaigns via Mailchimp, UTMs, and Google Tag Manager
- Creating reporting connection between their ticketing system and website
- Team training on SEO concepts such as Domain Rating/Authority and backlinks, as well as content distribution and community partnerships
Satisfaction
FAST/TA began implementing stronger campaign tracking immediately. Suddenly the team could see a clear connection between a partner they reached out to and visits to their site via email marketing. As the Theatre prepares for a website redesign, the team is able to work more closely with their developer to insure content and SEO needs are met in a way that will allow FAST/TA to focus on content without compromising searcher intent.
In their words
"Alison is patient, present, and enthusiastic about what she does and is easily reachable for any questions big or small. She was great to help us understand and articulate our needs. The first meeting was excellent and eye-opening, as she was able to take a broad topic and break down the options within that large topic into smaller, more manageable ones.
She gave us control in what we wanted to learn/where we wanted her to maximize our time with her.
We would highly recommend anyone in any industry to work with Alison - her broad knowledge and expertise will help you improve your online presence regardless of what stage you are at. The tools and knowledge we gained from this experience will help us with not just short-term fixes, but also long-term solutions!"
- Reema Fuller, Manager Director, Festival Antigonish Summer Festival and Theatre Antigonish
Frequently Asked Questions
The Mighty Marketing Session is a great option to start with if you're the only one in your company. This is because I want to make sure what I advise is sustainable for one person. I want you to succeed, not get even more overwhelmed!
Additionally, you will see best results if you've been in business at least 2 years, or your new business/startup is in a field you have a lot of experience with. My offerings are not idea for "brand new" brands who are not sure who their audience or offerings are.
The larger packages are best suited for brands that have a team (i.e. 2+ people) available implement my recommendations.
Not sure if that’s you? Examples of clients I’ve worked with in the past include:
- Coaches, consultants, or service providers who operate as individuals but are supported by a virtual assistant
- Impact-based companies and startups with a small marketing or comms team (2+ employees that wear many hats)
- Nonprofits and social enterprises that have 2-4 employees and a rotation of interns and/or short-term contractors
No. My priority is to provide clear recommendations and then set your team up with the knowledge, tools, and skills you need to truly own your marketing and find long-term success (without worrying that you’re going to break everything). Should we need to contract out work at an additional investment, such as SEM or copywriting, I have a network of trusted partners that I will refer you to.
For the 1:1 sessions, you have an option of weekly or bi-weekly Zoom meetings that are 1 hour.
For best results, I recommend setting aside 2 hour a week to work on projects we're covering. This is a realistic minimum to spend on marketing items anyway!
I recommend engaging with me during a natural slow period in your business cycle.
While changing up your website and your messaging can sometimes mean a change in direction in terms of who you’re attracting, we always do this with intention and empathy in mind. If we do choose to start phasing out a particular type of audience, we’ll do it with the utmost respect and come up with a strategy that will help them transition into other options seamlessly.
It all depends in how organized your current marketing is, what your goals are, if you implement what is recommended, and what your landscape can realistically support.
SEO and outreach take longer than email marketing and social media to see results. So timelines depend on what we focus on.
If you are in a situation currently where you need revenue injection sooner than later - you have a sales problem, not a marketing problem. I recommend you seek sales support to get you back to a place of security before investing in marketing.
I have deep experience with ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, and Mailchimp. But can navigate around just about any newsletter platform you have!
However you or your team currently operates, or I'm happy to create systems for you! Currently, I work a lot in:
- Google Drive
- Airtable
- Notion
No way! There’s no such thing as “too late” when it comes to your website or marketing. As long as you have the time, money, and interest to invest in taking a fresh approach, this is the exact best time to start.
Are you ready to deepen your marketing in a way that (finally!) feels right?
I can’t wait to help. Schedule a free consult with me today, and let’s get you some direction on how to make your marketing more rewarding for you and your audience.