ABOUT FUESTON & ASSOCIATES
Hi! I’m Matthew Fueston, and my PR and marketing philosophy is deeply rooted in my extensive experience in marketing and sales. My early background was primarily in custom telephony and radio comms system sales to law enforcement and other first responders. (Big ticket items-- 6 to 7 figures.) That led me into federal government critical systems sales. Then in 2008-2009 that industry I loved so much crashed and contracted. With senior people like me targeted by Reductions in Force, I decided to take a lateral move into marketing. I’ve always been both a consultative salesperson-- focused on understanding the buyer's needs rather than a slick spiel-- and a writer, so I had the tools to go to work for an agency (much like the one I have now) to learn more about the marketing side.
I was privileged to work with two outstanding editors, one of them an Oxford-educated expert on the English language and the full gamut of accepted style. Their mentorship was invaluable. I was also able to work with several commercial artists, all better than average, and some absolutely outstanding. As I became the lead person at the agency, I added significantly to our client list. This also gave me a good overview of our operations and I participated in every facet of that business.
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Marketing is a lot of things, and I won’t try to describe it comprehensively here. The American Marketing Association, the Content Marketing Institute, and many other fine associations have their own definitions, many of which have their basic nature diluted by strenuous efforts to leave nothing out. I am not hampered by their need to include all possible forms of marketing. So let me just build on the dictionary definition, with my own services in mind.
Merriam-Webster offers two definitions that apply to the work we do at Fueston & Associates. One is: “the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service,” and that is certainly correct as far as it goes. Another definition covers more ground: “an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer.”
You don’t move goods from manufacturer to dealer/consumer without a lot of steps, and that includes Sales and Marketing. As much as both sides might prefer to be in separate bubbles, sales outcomes are affected by marketing actions. On the other hand, the effectiveness of marketing is vastly improved when the sales department (internal and field-based) makes their expertise and customer knowledge available for the use of marketing.
PR and content marketing deal with all the messaging that goes out the door, and how the company and its products are perceived. And media now has a voracious appetite for content. The challenge is to keep the quantity up at the same time quality is maintained. My agency enables clients to meet that challenge.
My experience on both sides of the Sales/Marketing line informs my approach to content creation. I've been in the field with the people who do the work, and the people who own the companies that buy your equipment. I know what they say when you're not around. I know how they feel about zero-content marketing "puff." I know how to show them respect in print and how to avoid disrespecting them. I'm more interested in communicating your message to the targeted demographic than in winning an award for a nonsensical ad and marketing campaign that is disconnected from real-world sales, real-world work, and your reputation.
Well, that's who I am and what I'm about. I'll climb down from my soapbox now. Give me a call or send me a text or email to set up a no-obligation consultation!
Remember, even though I talk a lot about content creation, our agency provides more than that. I'm talking about industry experience we can share, experience and connections with the trade press in our focus areas, PR help for trade shows and their press conferences and editorial contacts, general media relations, working with ad budgets and planning—and a lot more!
In answer to a few questions I’ve received, yes, I do intend to continue to focus on the B2B "big iron" (heavy equipment) category. That includes construction, underground construction/utilities, mining and drilling industries, and towing and recovery equipment.
