Branding YOU Better! – Susan Newman Lerer

Brand Interview: Audrey Pellicano, R.N., M.S

Health Counselor to Widowed Women – WiseWidow.com

How long has your company been in business? Please tell us a bit about your company, its mission, goals…

I actually have been counseling widows for many years. I knew it was a lonely, confusing and overwhelming time having experienced myself 21yrs ago at the age of 38.  No one understands the upheaval and a life turned upside down by loss of a spouse as does another widow. I had, at the time, 4 young children ranging in age from 2 months to 6 years of age.

My work became a business when someone asked when I was going to stop doing this for free! Having been a nurse/case manager for 37 years and  having worked with patients doing teaching around their illness, it was a natural transition. I had the tools that helped me through my grief and now, I would teach those tools to other widows.

The mission for my work is to be a guide to widowed women by providing support, guidance, education, resources and hope as they move through the process of grief and self-discovery by means of individual counseling and group counseling utilizing virtual resources and platforms such as teleseminars, webinars, and media.  In addition, my vision is to build social awareness to the needs of widowed women and those going through the grieving process through public and corporate education.

Do you donate to charities? Tell us about that also and why.

As of now I have not contributed monetarily to a charity but I offer a free telephone support group to widowed women. Many women aren’t sure of the type of support they need. Groups work for some and others find individual one-on-one counseling most beneficial. It’s a platform where they can find what works for them.

How did you know what typeface (font) would be right for your company wordmark or logo? If your logo has an illustration, describe why that art was the right thing, animal, place, object, etc…

My son’s long time girlfriend is a very talented illustrator. I wanted her to design the logo as I had no idea what would be appropriate. I told her to think nurse, life, health and well being in addition to keeping in mind my target audience. I just loved what she designed. She captured everything, the tree of life, the staff of Asclepius used by Registered Nurses, and the single fork.

How did you decide on the right color palette to fit your company look and feel?

I choose the color turquoise for my business cards as turquoise the color controls and heals the emotions, creating emotional balance and stability. Turquoise recharges our spirits during times of mental stress and tiredness, alleviating feelings of loneliness.

How did you decide which type of designer to work with, or did you design your own identity and web presence?

To design my website I hired a young man I found on oDesk that had very good reviews. He sent me templates based on my expressing that I wanted a site that was simple and clear without a lot of designs.

In what order did you present your company to the world? Did you start with marketing and products, or website, blog and social media?

Although I began presenting myself and my company prior to the completion of my website, I really began the all out marketing when it was completed and had good content.  I started with my website and then moved onto social media.

How long after the launch of your company did you start pitching in social media?

It was about a year after my launch that I really became active on Twitter. I’m still a newbie with the other platforms.

Did you do research or study any software, take webinars, teleclasses, before approaching any area of your marketing or web presence?

I took a three hour class on social media but I found it confusing.

Do you advertise locally in newspapers and/or nationally in magazines? Are they effective?

I haven’t done any print advertising as of yet. I post my events on Facebook and LinkedIn and publish my articles in an E-Zine and on several widow related blog sites. I recently listed with an online website named “Widdahood” where I’ve paid to be listed as a counselor. Too early to tell if it will be effective.

When you printed your products, packaging, business cards and other print marketing did you choose an online printer or visit a local vendor? Have you ever used “green” technology in printing, using FSC certified papers or recycled paper and if not, how likely are you at trying this on a next project?

The only printed product I have are my business cards and I used MOO.com. and recycled paper. I had seen their business cards and like the heavier stock paper.If you sell products, are they produced in the USA or abroad?

What is coming up in the year or two we should watch for? Is there anything you haven’t yet tackled, but will want to do soon?

My next project is to promote my corporate program, supporting the grieving employee returning to work, to both large and small corporations.  It goes back to my vision of raising awareness as to the needs of those going through the grieving process.

To learn more about Audrey Pellicano and WiseWidow.com visit the links below:

Website: www.wisewidow.com

Blog: http://www.wisewidow.com/blog.html

Facebook: Audrey Pellicano R.N.,M.S.

Twitter: @audreypellicano

LinkedIn: Audrey Pellicano

• ← Brand Interview: Mark Schwartz, High Heeled Art
• Entrepreneurs Creating by Committee: Is Social Media to Blame? →