Katy Martin, 33
Marketing Strategist
Service Wire
Katy joined Service Wire in 2018 as a content marketing associate, a newly created role for the marketing department. “I was seeking a new opportunity closer to home after leaving the non-profit industry. With a background in program and website management, Service Wire was the right fit for me,” she explained, adding that “as a West Virginia native, I was excited to see a locally owned, flourishing manufacturer in my hometown.”
Initially responsible for transforming Service Wire’s content marketing strategy, Katy’s role quickly expanded to more than content marketing: tracking and reporting on metrics, campaign development, and sales enablement. “As my role developed, I found a new love in marketing automation, campaign strategy, and marketing-led sales enablement,” she said. “I’ve been given a lot of opportunity at Service Wire, both personally and professionally. I am encouraged to see my hard work pay off at a great, American-made company.”
In 2020 Katy was awarded Service Wire’s Art & Joan Weisberg Award for Excellence in Sales & Operations, and in 2022 was promoted to marketing strategist, another new role for the company. “In this role I’m responsible for developing strategic marketing plans to meet the company’s business objectives and leading marketing efforts for campaigns across multifunctional teams. This includes designing and implementing marketing automation, market research, and analyzing sales and marketing KPIs,” Katy said.
Asked about a problem or challenge the industry is facing currently, Katy pointed to how B2B customers expect the B2C experience. “In the electrical industry, wire and cable is primarily considered a commodity—most of our business is centered around pricing and availability,” she explained. “In marketing, we must find ways to distinguish our company, our products, and our service levels from the competition while keeping up with the latest marketing trends and technology.”
To this end, Katy said she is constantly researching ways in which Service Wire can incorporate the strong brand identity and customer experience from B2C companies into the B2B world. “We can accomplish this by investing in marketing automation tools and processes, AI technologies, and incorporating the latest trends as they make sense in our industry,” she noted. “By targeting customers where they are at in their journey, we can develop a stronger relationship with them and better serve their wire and cable needs. Plus, this helps keep marketing teams efficient by extending the life of campaigns and promotions and creating more evergreen materials.”
Looking ahead, Katy said she is always open to new opportunities at Service Wire and in the electrical distribution industry. “Currently, I’m working to streamline marketing and sales KPIs into actionable data points for our sales teams,” she said. “We are working across multiple departments, from sales to operations and IT, to develop reports and dashboards that paint a road map for our future success. My goal is to create a stronger bridge between marketing and sales—serving as a hybrid between traditional marketing, predictive analytics, and the result it has on the sales organization.”
What would Katy tell someone just entering the industry? “The electrical distribution industry has untapped potential—there are still opportunities for young people in distribution and manufacturing,” she said. “My career hasn’t taken the traditional path I envisioned when I joined Service Wire, but they have opened so many doors for me. My hard work has been recognized and rewarded. My advice for anyone joining the industry would be to keep an open mind and look for opportunities. You may find that there is a bright new path for you with endless possibilities right around the corner.”
During the holiday season Katy can be found working on her “most unique hobby”: the Lewis Family Light Show, an approximately one-hour light show programmed to music at her family home. “We’ve done this for the past 16 years,” she said. “We’ve gone viral on social media for our ‘Thunderstruck’ show and have been featured on the local news several times. You can follow us on Facebook at Lewis Family Light Show.”
Each year tED magazine recognizes 30 of the industry’s best and brightest under the age of 35. Please visit tedmag.com/30Under35 for nomination information and updates about the 2024 program. Questions can be sent to tED Editor Misty Byers at mbyers@naed.org.
Tagged with 2023 30 Under 35, 30 under 35, people, Service Wire