#BEYOUROWN MEETS RHESA JOHN-PETERS

Rhesa John – Peters is the founder and director of EME Marketing & PR Agency.
EME Marketing is a full-service marketing agency on the Caribbean island of Grenada specialising in the creation and execution of marketing campaigns and strategy, brand development and design, event marketing and social media management.

The brand architects at EME are creators of unique marketing campaigns, designed to propel your business with beautiful aesthetics and fresh compelling messaging. Driven by a passion to drive change in the marketing landscape they offer creative and strategic solutions to meet the needs of companies and product owners alike.

Thank you for joining us Rhesa can you tell us a little bit about your background story as the founder of the Marketing and PR company EME?

My passion for marketing started while I was in college NYC, I was studying psychology with a focus on consumer behaviour and I got my start at a small agency that focused on brand activations and event marketing. We would do trade shows, trunk shows, create branded pop up shops and create brand advocacy programs in bars, lounges and clubs. The pace of it, the ability to be creative and work on so many different projects each with their own objectives energised me. I loved analysing the data and seeing the way consumers interacted with the brands and the feedback was extremely important for guiding our next steps. This experience formed my entire philosophy when it comes to marketing which is that the market (in any industry) is always speaking to you. Know who you’re targeting, listen to them and execute accordingly.

Can you tell us about your motivation behind launching EME Marketing & PR and how did you get your foot in the door with your first client?

When I moved back to Grenada I was extremely passionate about bringing that same creative and innovative energy to the marketing field here. I started working with a retail company and immediately focused on brand building to communicate to customers first and foremost what the values of the company were. I accomplished a lot in my tenure with that company, but I wasn’t feeling inspired. The idea of starting my own agency took hold back then and I registered the company name in 2012. I accepted small projects and consultancies, but I wasn’t quite ready to make the leap into entrepreneurship. My career trajectory led me to work within various industries and I realised what I was searching for was the ability to be creative every single day. I loved developing brands and setting the bar, I loved seeing how that work was received and then improving on it. I enjoy working with companies that want to employ long term strategies rather than focusing on short term tactics. Once I got clear on the kind of work that invigorated me, the idea of branching out was on my mind all the time and finally in 2018 I made it happen. It was slow at first, I’ve always been most comfortable just doing the work. My whole career I focused on ensuring that the company that I worked for got the shine and I never publicised all the campaigns I personally spearheaded or had been a part of. So, I didn’t initially announce in a major way that I had started my agency, but I had ensured that all my professional assets were in place, like a company presentation, business cards, social media pages and website. Our first client came from announcing a promotion for a seminar on our social media page where I was the lead presenter, this client noticed the promotion, looked at the website and requested a meeting. I firmly believe that it was a case of preparation meeting opportunity.

What top 3 key traits do you think makes an awesome marketer?

Paying attention/ listening – You have to read the signs the market sends you. Consumers are always telling you what they want, sometimes it’s indirect messaging but if you’re paying attention the message is clear as day.

Analytical thinking – I cannot stress enough the importance of data. The ability to transfer the messages and signs you receive from the market and implement that as part of your strategy will give you wins every time.

Communication – Speak the language of the people you’re trying to reach. If you’re in a room with a board of directors and you’re talking about marketing strategy you better also have your numbers ready and talk about ROI (return on investment). On the other side of that, when that strategy is turned into a promotional campaign the only thing a consumer ultimately cares about is how will this product or service make my life better or easier. So, the key points will shift based on who you’re talking to. In marketing, you must know how to do that and do it effectively.

What methods do you currently use to measure your client results?

We always establish KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) for every campaign. So, if we’re promoting a specific product for a sale event, inventory turnover would be a KPI we’re tracking if we’re doing a brand-building activity, we’re tracking how many emails/ phone numbers/ clicks/ likes/ inquiries we receive.

Personally, I analyse everything, so I delve right into things like Google Analytics or Facebook insights whenever we do any digital marketing campaigns. Our clients get very excited when you can definitively say 1000 people saw your ad and 50 people have liked it etc. It helps you to refine your promotions, so it works better for you. It lets you know if you need to revise your strategy, your message or your targeting.

Do you have any current mentors? Either professionally or personally….

On the personal side, my parents are my biggest mentors. Knowing their stories, with both coming from very humble beginnings to both becoming well-respected leaders in their fields. This has always been inspiring to me especially with all they’ve afforded me in my life. I’ve always felt that if they did it with so much less how dare I not do my very best.

Professionally, I am inspired by women in this industry who have truly blazed their own unique trail using their intelligence, creativity and innovative strategies. Women like Yvette Noel Schure who’s also from Grenada, Bozoma St. John and Myliek Teele. I pay attention to everything they do in their professional lives.

What platforms are you using as marketing tools to promote EME Marketing & PR?

Social media has been a key promotional platform. You cannot deny the impact of Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram just in terms of getting your work seen and promoting your brand. Also, good old word of mouth has been great for us a lot of our clients come from referrals.

Do you currently use any apps or tools to help the functionality of your day to day?

Yes, project management tools like Trello really help you to stay on track with tasks and I love that you can invite clients to follow along as a way of tracking progress.

Also, programs like Google Drive, WeTransfer and Dropbox are immensely useful as we usually work with very large files that can’t easily be emailed.

What has been one of the most valuable lessons so far throughout your business building?

The most valuable lesson I’ve learnt while building this business would be that creativity is a superpower. It’s a skill not everyone has and it’s a very valuable skill set. Everything you come in contact with started with someone having an idea and it took me a while to realise that my ideas, the way I see the world and the way I interpret and analyse information weren’t standard.

What does #BEYOUROWN mean to you?

#BEYOUROWN Cheerleader. When starting any new venture there will be people who will straight up tell you don’t do it. Or the “well-wishers” who really don’t wish you well. I realised early on that the vision was mine to make happen and if you aren’t extremely clear on the vision you have for your life and your business, you will get sidetracked or give up. Get clear and all the rest becomes background noise.

What does 2020 look like for you throughout the rest of the year?

2020 is the year EME Marketing & PR gets LOUD! We are focusing on brand awareness this year. We have several new marketing campaigns we’re rolling out for clients as well as launching some internal EME branded ventures that we’ve been planning over the last year. This year we’re pulling back the curtain and making our presence felt!

Instagram: @emeprgroup @rhesajp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EMEPRGROUP/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/eme-marketing-pr

Website: http://emepr.com