One Speed. One Mission.

Meet Yaskawa's New Marketing Manager

Nicki Schmidt’s feet hit the ground running when she joined Yaskawa as its new marketing manager in April – and she’s still going fast.

Having served previously in leadership roles handling marketing for Vacon/Danfoss Drives, Eaton, Caleffi Hydronic Solutions and Vector Controls and Automation Group, she has a pretty good idea things aren’t going to slow down anytime soon.

“We are moving fast against a lot of initiatives that will enable us to continue to build our brand and support our channel,” she said. “There is so much to do, you can’t do it all at once. But, some days that’s what it feels like we are trying to do.”

“I am 100% focused on helping to grow the Yaskawa drives business,” Schmidt said. “That means telling the brand story in a consistent and meaningful way across the entire organization and out to the customers.”

Yaskawa is working on evolving an overall marketing plan to tell a story focused on the overall quality experience the company provides customers, while also supporting its key partners.

“We are working very hard to grow the brand. Create more product presence. Our name is not as recognizable as it can be. Industrial, HVAC and OEM audiences don’t know our story as deeply as they need to. There’s a quality message we want people to hear. And, that’s not just about our great products, but about the overall experience you get when you buy Yaskawa,” she said.

“We’ve also been reaching out to our distributors, so we can help them more,” she added. “We want to create a program with the right tools that support them. But, it has to be a program they have a role in helping to define. We need to have those discussions before we execute a comprehensive program.”

Schmidt has ideas to enhance Yaskawa’s digital marketing and in-person engagement that will support distributors.

A critical part of Schmidt’s plan is to connect with distributors, so she can understand their needs and concerns as they take the Yaskawa brand to market.

“I see great opportunity to arm distributors with more effective sales tools and create in-person experiences that will make their jobs a lot easier. If you look at our in-store presence, we need to create materials that will ensure people know you can get Yaskawa there,” she said. “Obviously, our product is too big for counter space, but there are other ways to have an impact. To make sure people know, ‘This is a Yaskawa partner.’”

“We want to make the most of our digital marketing efforts. Consistently tell our story through social media, email campaigns and the web. We want to provide distributors with tools they can brand and use to promote Yaskawa, as well.”

Yaskawa is considering new ways to build upon past efforts, as it generates more customer engagement, Schmidt said.

“I’m really big on the personal experience. People connecting with people. Putting a face to the relationship. In my experience, I’ve seen a lot of great results providing the full company experience through customer conference and forum events, dedicated road shows and key industry trade show activities,” she said.

“There’s also the e-marketing piece. So, we are looking at how we can develop better tools there. Tools that deliver a strong message and create lead gen opportunities. And, then there’s public relations. Maximizing our marketing dollars by building relationships with the trade media and industry organizations. There are just so many ways we can tell our story.”

Going back to the idea of connecting people with people, Schmidt noted that one of Yaskawa’s greatest assets is its people.

“The people part of the business is always key for me in the storytelling,” she said. “Yaskawa’s associates are so proud of their company. They have such a passion for the work. Communicating their spirit is so important to what we are trying to do.”

“It is personal for us. We have that human element that makes a difference. It’s so ingrained into how we deliver that quality experience to our customers every day. And we are so proud to tell that story.”