In this edition of Marketer of the Week, Ignite Visibility spotlights Sarah Folmar, Digital Marketing Manager at First Factory.
Ignite Visibility applauds her for her exceptional achievements in brand management, content strategy, and everything in between.
Sarah Folmar
Equipped with a B.S. in Journalism from Bowling Green State University, Sarah Folmar has quickly adapted her skill set to the emerging field of digital marketing.
She even went on to earn a Content Marketing Certification from Hubspot and A Google Analytics Individual Qualification from Google. But her marketing journey didn’t start off like most of her peers.
Following a stint in the animal health field, Sarah Folmar was looking for an opportunity where she could blend her love of animals with her love of marketing. Thus, her career in brand management was born.
Key Magazine BGSU
Her career in brand management began during her college years.
While attending Bowling Green State University, Sarah Folmar served as Key Magazine’s Editor in Chief.
There, she ran the creative gamut—writing and editing articles, setting deadlines, creating agendas, organizing group meetings, taking photographs for stories, organizing senior portraits, and delivering magazines to selected BGSU locations.
Banfield Pet Hospital
Here, Sarah Folmar was able to combine her passion for social media and for animals.
As Banfield Pet Hospital’s Client Care Manager, she was the main point person for client escalations, inquiries, emails, and phone calls to the hospital.
Always the perfectionist, Sarah Folmer decided to create a weekly schedule for the hospital staff to maximize efficiency. And whenever necessary, she assisted in animal care and managed vendor relationships within the hospital.
Sarah Folmar’s Career Timeline
Northshore Animal Hospital
While developing and refining social media campaigns for the Northshore Animal Hospital, Sarah Folmar also handled all front desk operations and client escalations.
She prepared everything from hospital documents to client materials, as well as managed the hospital’s website.
Radio Systems Corporation
Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Radio Systems Corporation is the world’s leading dog and cat product supplier.
Starting out as a customer care representative to learn the company’s products in 2012, Sarah Folmar was quickly promoted to oversee the social media and digital channels for their PetSafe brand. One of her most notable accomplishments was launching a national dog park giveaway through Facebook.
She not only created all print materials for Pet Supplies Plus to market the contest, but managed all social media inquiries and created regular content to include educational materials, web contests, and B2C email blasts.
Ministry Brands
Ministry Brands is a family of software companies that has helped more than 90,000 faith-based organizations administer their membership, collect and manage donations, and foster engagement in their communities.
In the fall of 2014, the company was looking to grow its social media presence and hired Sarah Folmar to spearhead those efforts.
As Ministry Brands’ resident Social Media Manager, she created all social and email campaigns for over 30 different ministry-related brands, under one parent company umbrella.
Sarah Folmar also built a monthly content calendar across all digital channels for each brand and updated digital strategies according to their ROI and reported metrics.
Condensed Curriculum International
Back in 2015, Sarah Folmar worked for Condensed Curriculum International, a leading provider of healthcare training and education programs.
In her role as Marketing Director, she was responsible for managing and executing all digital marketing strategies for a variety of educational content brands.
She launched several social media campaigns, sent regular B2B email campaigns, branded websites for partner schools, designed elements for local advertisements, and wrote content for all marketing materials.
First Factory
As the Digital Marketing Manager for First Factory, a nearshore software development company, Sarah Folmar manages all inbound and outbound B2B promotions and lead generation.
The company has grown from just under 40 employees in early 2018 to nearly 200 at the start of 2021. First Factory was also a first-time inductee to the Inc. 5000 list with their 171% growth as a central focus last year.
There’s no doubt that Sarah Folmar’s leadership and strategic vision played a role in this milestone. But her success doesn’t end there.
The social campaigns she has run over the last 3 years have gained a staggering 48.5 million impressions, and the B2B efforts have generated thousands of leads for First Factory. Her unique approach to recruitment marketing was even featured in a podcast for marketers in 2020.
During her 4-year tenure at First Factory, Sarah Folmar has created dozens of B2B and recruitment newsletters, streamlined a B2B and recruitment design process, and worked to improve content across all web channels.
Wrapping it Up
Sarah Folmar’s years of experience as a creative connoisseur paved the way for her current role at First Factory.
While exposing herself to various industries and verticals, she has mastered her craft in brand marketing and social media.
I’m looking forward to seeing where Sarah Folmar’s expertise and persistence take her in the future.
