Vertical Marketing

11/11/2025

Had the absolute joy of capturing Ryonna's senior session this summer and fall—the latest of her family's chapters I've been honored to photograph over the years.

We didn't just pose in pretty spots. We revisited the places that shaped her: the Lakes, Arnolds Park adventures, the nature trails and backroads she's always loved, with her strong faith in tow. The places that make Ryonna Ryonna.

That's what I love most about photographing friends' kids—watching them grow into these incredible humans with their own styles, passions and incredible stories to tell.

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Looking ahead to 2026: We'll be limiting senior sessions again to just 4 slots and typically booked by March. If you know a senior who needs photography services but cost is a barrier, we operate on a quiet don't-ask-don't-tell policy. Just reach out.

11/03/2025

Personalized Workshops + Monthly Marketing + PR Sessions

We're evolving our workshop format to serve you better with two new offerings:

Personalized On-Site Intensives
Our full workshop team (Vertical Marketing, KBrand Marketing, and Suite Ghost) comes directly to your location for a customized workshop—100% tailored to your business and marketing needs. Flexible scheduling to fit your team's needs.

Monthly Mission Control Zoom Room - NO COST TO ATTEND!
Join Vertical Marketing the 4th Tuesday of every month from 9-10am. 15 minutes of focused marketing strategies + live Q&A. Free, actionable and designed for busy business owners. We start November 25 at 9am—watch for details!

A note: As we talked with clients, we realized there's a greater need for personalized, one-on-one support rather than group workshops. Combined with some personal health circumstances on my end requiring treatment over the next few months, we've decided to pivot to these formats that allow us to deliver more tailored value with flexibility.

DM me for details on the on-site intensives, or drop a comment if you'd like the Zoom room link!

10/30/2025

Back in 2021, Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation partnered with us for a complete brand transformation. Their work supporting businesses across Northwest Iowa was incredible—but their brand wasn't telling that story.

Fast forward 3 years:
✨ Social media growth of 22.3% across platforms
✨ Attracted a top-tier CEO who was drawn to their professional brand
✨ $230M in projected business investment in our region
✨ Named Iowa's inaugural SourceLink Resource Partner of the Year

The best part? Their brand now tells the human stories of why people choose to live, work and build businesses in rural Northwest Iowa.

When local organizations can tell their story well, the whole region wins.

Curious how strategic branding creates real economic impact?

Read the full story:

See how strategic economic development branding helped Iowa Lakes Corridor attract top talent, grow 150% on LinkedIn and drive $230M in potential business investment.

10/24/2025

January 28, 1986 was my 6th birthday.

If you remember that date.... you'll understand why I named my business what I did.

If you've worked with Vertical Marketing + Design, you've heard me talk about brand transformations using space terminology: Launch Platform. Lift-Off.Brand Boost. Maximizing Orbit.These are deeply personal anchors, that aren't just catchy names for phases in our process and it's why helping organiz...

10/19/2025

Our busy summer is catching up to fall and we are excited to share some senior moments and what we've been working on the last quarter with local clients!

Watch our profile here in the coming weeks for senior moments and new blog posts where you'll learn what we've been working on behind the scenes with the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation and creative entrepreneurs who are making waves in Spencer and 'Boji!

09/24/2025

In 2023, we had the privilege of rebranding Iowa Lakes Corridor —transforming both their logo and brand system.

We're thrilled to continue our partnership with them today and excited to see their brand flourish!

Watch our blog series as we take a look back! 🎨✨

We've been a little quite lately - but doesn't mean we aren't doing big things!

We love seeing clients who understand aligning strategies, tactics and analytics to get our area on the map and in front of the eyes of investors, entrepreneurs and residents.

In the last year and half, Vertical Marketing has worked with the Iowa Lakes Corridor to develop their rebranding system, develop marketing tactics and manage their multiple social channels, and more, with a great group of marketing agencies walking along-side!

We've seen great successes and a few failures, but overall the path has been easy with clients who understand the importance of strategies and taking the time to find the Y for our area together! We aren't all experts in every facet of this new digital marketing landscape, but working together makes the entire process a concerted effort with real teeth! Pretty cool for an economic development corporation, right?

Is your own marketing model getting stale? We are working behind the scenes to further develop this type re-branding system product with other marketing experts to provide a full service marketing agency experience without paying agency prices!

Watch for future projects as we expand this new service line - we are super excited to see what the future holds!

09/15/2025

Thanks for sharing everyone.

The spot has been claimed so we are booked up on retainer clients again.

Additional projects are on case by case work as usual, please call or message to discuss your project scope and timelines.

We have an additional contractor covering the next few months, and I'll be looking again to hire likely in the spring.

Keep an eye out if you've been messaging me!

09/10/2025

Due to a seasonal client pause, our marketing agency has a short 5-month availability window (November-March).

We are offering three service tiers to accommodate varying business needs and budgets:

Full-Service Social Media Management
Complete social media strategy, content creation, and account management while you focus on core business operations.

Social Media Consulting + Coaching Program (New Offering)
Comprehensive training to develop sustainable in-house social media systems and strategies. Available at introductory rates during our trial period.

Build Your Own Social Media Workshop Series
Budget-conscious workshop format ($99 per session) designed for businesses of all sizes—from local retailers to institutional investors.

**Please note: Due to current capacity constraints, we cannot guarantee availability beyond March 2026 without additional team expansion.

For businesses seeking to strengthen their digital presence this winter or develop internal social media capabilities, we welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can support your objectives or connect you with another marketer who can.

Contact us directly to explore which option aligns with your needs.

09/02/2025

Who says you can't grow your Facebook audience organically right now?

This chart from one of our clients profile analytics report proves an important principle about social media growth that's often misunderstood. The steady, consistent upward trajectory you're seeing is actually more valuable than the roller-coaster peaks that viral content creates.

Think of it like building a house versus winning the lottery. Viral content is like a lottery win - it might give you a massive spike, but it's unpredictable and doesn't create a foundation you can rely on.

Strategic organic growth is like building a house brick by brick - each month adds another solid layer to your foundation.

The beauty of this approach is compound growth.

Just like how a savings account grows faster over time due to compound interest, an engaged audience builds momentum. Each genuine follower is more likely to engage, share, and stick around than someone who stumbled across viral content and hit follow on impulse.

Virality doesn't work. Strategy does.

08/19/2025

You think you can spot AI writing by counting em dashes?

That's like trying to identify a master chef by how much salt they use.

I'm dying laughing at this McSweeney's piece where the em dash itself responds to accusations of being an "AI tell." It's comedic genius and hits close to home.

My earliest mentor, Jane, was a marketing VP and journalist who taught me proper punctuation—the Oxford comma, en dash, em dash, and ellipses (You mean they aren't just three periods?! THE HORROR!)

Here's the thing... I've been overusing ellipses and misusing dashes for decades despite knowing better.

I use proper punctuation for business documents, but in casual writing? I'm all over the place.

So when I read about people hunting for AI "tells" based on punctuation patterns, I just shake my head.

You're analyzing the seasoning when you should be tasting the entire dish.

Punctuation habits are just flavor enhancers—the real artistry lies in the substance of the ideas, the authenticity of voice, and the human experience behind the words.

Stop counting dashes and start savoring the meal:
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-em-dash-responds-to-the-ai-allegations?fbclid=IwY2xjawMRcTJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHvwh8uHSmytDik39GY1Jjm5kABW4_u-AfrygZ7RhtasbTQDi9YjM0w9zyyJN_aem_hcGbWI03Z_LDMNl9pFWM-g

“In recent months, a curious fixation has emerged in corners of academia: the em dash. More specifically, the apparent moral panic around how it is...

08/18/2025

Here's an uncomfortable truth about networking: most of us connect with people who make us feel good about ourselves, not people who challenge us to grow.

At professional events, I've sat at empty tables and watched what happens over the years. The people who join me? Usually the story tellers - creative, curious, generous with their perspectives. The ones who avoid empty tables entirely? Often impressive credentials, predictable thinking.

We gravitate toward familiar faces and comfortable conversations because it feels safe.

But safe networking keeps us small.

The most valuable professional relationships come from people who show up as humans first, titles second. They include the outsider, ask unexpected questions, and aren't afraid to challenge the status quo.

Next time you're at an event, ask yourself:
Am I networking to feel important, or am I networking to become more useful?

The empty table is waiting. Who joins you says everything.

Read the full strategy: https://www.verticalmarketingdesign.com/post/the-empty-table-test-what-your-networking-strategy-says-about-you

What's your take - do you seek comfort or growth in your professional connections

I prefer sitting at empty tables at professional events—it's where I'm most comfortable. Over time, I've noticed who naturally includes others and who doesn't. These observations reveal character traits that matter in business: empathy, confidence, and collaborative spirit.

08/14/2025

After three intense days of coaching entrepreneurs, I found myself lying upside down in the grass, grounding myself and processing everything I'd learned.

Day 3 at OEI, I watched brilliant students with perfect research tackle surface problems while the real issues lurked underneath. An engineer wanted to fix buggy educational software, but when we dug deeper, the real problem emerged: volunteers didn't have time to learn any system - they wanted to focus on teaching kids.

The pattern was clear: students could identify what was broken, but they were afraid to challenge why it mattered.

Here's what I learned: when you ask "What do you wish you had more time for?" people tell you what they actually value. And when you know what people value, you can solve problems that align with their priorities instead of their complaints.

Take a jump over to the full blog post 👇