Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Vizard.
Hi Vanessa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I founded Vizard Marketing & PR in 2012 because I wanted to do something I loved and I wanted it create a legacy for myself and my children. I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. At a young age, I sold Avon, Party Light, Pre-Paid Legal while working full-time and going to college. I was always great at sales and communicating with people, but it took a few years before I truly discovered what I wanted to pursue in business.
After working for a larger nonprofit in the community, I realized there was such a great need in the nonprofit community. I decided to take a leap of faith, left my salaried position, and launched Vizard Marketing & PR (VMPR). I started VMPR with the vision and goal of giving other businesses, particularly nonprofits a voice and brand awareness in the community.
By mid-2013, we expanded our reach to serve clients in the healthcare space who also place an emphasis on serving the community. As a business owner and individual, giving back to my community and working with clients who put people and community first are part of our core values.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like most businesses, we’ve experienced our share of challenges over the years. Yet, through courage, tenacity, leadership, and determination we overcome our challenges. When I began the business, I operated more as a consultant and served a variety of industries, but I soon realized this model wasn’t going to allow me the business to grow to what I had always envisioned. To overcome, I began seeking mentorship and business council from peers and outside entities. I participated in trainings, workshops, networking events, read a lot and conducted a lot of research. In 2019, I shifted from a consultant model to a full-service agency.
COVID-19 was particularly challenging as many of our clients reduced or stopped altogether their marketing and advertising services. We used this slow time as an opportunity to revamp our internal processes, marketing efforts and distribution channels. We hosted and participated in virtual seminars, workshops and conferences giving us a new platform to reach our target clients and conduct business. Additionally, we doubled down in email marketing and social media efforts so we could stay in front of our target audience. Lastly, we focused our time on becoming more well versed in government contracting by attending virtual workshops, trainings and meetings with our procurement specialist. This allowed us to create a Capabilities Statement and be better prepared to bid on Requests for Proposals that aligned with our services which resulted in our first contract award in August of 2021.
Personally, I have faced much adversity in my life. At a young age, I had to take care of myself and began my first job when I was fourteen years old. By the time I was 16 years old, I was working full-time and nearly didn’t graduate high school. I attended a continuation school and in order to graduate on time, I had to take two college classes while balancing high school, full-time work and a daughter on the way, but I was so determined, so I made it work. At the age of 23, I had three children and they became my WHY. I made a commitment to myself and to my children that I would not be a statistic and that I would excel in all my endeavors.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Since 2012, Vizard Marketing & PR (VMPR) has developed highly effective marketing, advertising, and public relations strategies for our clients to engage the public and influence consumer behavior and interest. At VMPR, we specialize in creating marketing that matters, particularly for healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and government industries.
We develop valuable campaigns to build our client’s brand and reputation and cover multiple disciplines within marketing and public relations including advertising campaigns, strategic communications, media relations, social responsibility, stakeholder engagement, brand and creative, website development, social and digital media, and print and direct mail services.
At VMPR, our goal is 100% client satisfaction. When we begin working with a new client, we learn all about your brand, vision, audience, business model, and goals. We then research the market and analyze which channels your brand should be focusing on and develop a plan to optimize engagement through those channels.
VMPR is a certified SB, WBE and MBE (Small Business, Women Business Enterprise, and Minority Business Enterprise). Team member certifications include Capacity Building Certificate from Annenberg Foundation, Alchemy+ Fundraising Certificate from Academy of Grassroots Organizations, and Google Ads Display Certification.
What makes our business unique is our clients and our culture. We primarily serve businesses and organizations in the healthcare and nonprofit sectors that are making a positive impact in our community and our world. Every day, our team at VMPR gets to create marketing campaigns that matter. We get to uplift the brands, the voices, and the stories of our clients so that they may continue to better our region through quality healthcare or community development.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If a healthcare organization or nonprofit would like to work with our agency, they can simply complete the contact form on the Contact Us page on our website and we will respond promptly to set up a discovery meeting to learn about their marketing goals and needs. They can also call us at 888-857-0008 to speak with a team member about our services.
If someone would like to support our business, they can refer nonprofits and healthcare organizations including doctors/providers who need assistance with their marketing and advertising to us. Another way to support our business is to extend an opportunity for us to be a guest speaker or host a workshop at an event whether it be in person or virtual.
We are always open to collaborating with other reputable businesses in the industry on government proposals, depending on the scope of work. We also collaborate with others in the industry to host marketing, advertising, or public relations events.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.VizardPR.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vizardmarketingandpr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vizardpr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vizardpr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJusGevG-FVlfFjDNJSRb7A
