Christina Inge has two decades of experience leading digital strategy and managing complex marketing technology projects. She specializes in articulating effective, efficient digital strategies for organizations using the latest channels to drive results. She is the founder of Sleek Marketing, which offers hands-on education on digital marketing in the Boston area.

Christina served on the board of the American Marketing Association as vice president of social media throughout much of the 2000s. She is a frequent and sought-after speaker on web analytics, content strategy and SEO. She has worked with well established brands such as Nissan, Smithsonian, Pega Systems, as well as a range of startups and nonprofits. Christina has won numerous awards for her work, including the Social Media Society Social Media Stars award, seven teaching awards from Harvard University Division of Continuing Education, and Constant Contact All Stars Award.. She has been a Masschallenge mentor and has served on the Executive board of the IEEE Entrepreneur’s Network.

Christina holds a BA in English from University of Maryland University College and a MS in Adult Education and Instructional Technology from University of Wyoming.

Q: What's your background, and what are you working on?

I have been in marketing for over 18 years, working in digital marketing before we even had the term "digital marketing" (we called it interactive back in the day). In addition, I have my Master's in Adult Education and Instructional Technology. By day, I run Thoughtlight, a Boston-based digital marketing agency. Our motto is "we make technology friendly." We help mission-driven organizations get their message out to the right customers and stand out in this crowded online marketplace. I also combine my passions for marketing and education by teaching workshops on digital marketing to fellow professionals - stemming from that, I wrote a book, Fundamentals of Marketing Analytics, a comprehensive textbook on all things related to marketing metrics.

Q: What motivated you to get started with Thoughtlight?

Marketing was changing so rapidly in 2014, when I founded Thoughtlight. Digital marketing was the standard, but companies were struggling with measuring the impact of channels such as social media. At the same time, brands were still seeing results from traditional channels, like direct mail, and wondering if they should fully invest in digital, find a balance, or try something new. I felt inspired to help  companies figure out the right channels for them. Sometimes your ideal channel is digital. Sometimes it's something traditional, like print media, with state-of-the-art digital marketing added in. Our goal is to make technology work for organizations, instead of having to work to make technology work.

Q: How have you attracted clients and grown your firm?

We were very blessed to grow by word of mouth. In addition, we host conferences and workshops to engage our audience, so they know that when they need us, we're here.

Q: What are your goals for the future?

We aim to keep serving clients with our thoughtful, collaborative approach. In addition, we hope to expand into media, with more webinars, online and in-person classes, and books, to help more marketers learn how to make marketing technology work for them.

Q: What are the biggest challenges you've faced and obstacles you've overcome?

Trying to do it all. It can be challenging, when you have won awards for execution, to transition to being an executive-in other words, to start working on your business and work less in your business. Learning how to hire amazing people with the right mindset and passion for what we do is key.

Q: What's your advice for female founders who are just starting out?

It's a marathon, not a sprint. Take the time to create processes that you can delegate, so you can scale.
Know your value. Charge fairly for your work and don't lowball.
A few weeks before she died last year, my mother gave me the best business advice: "Don't blink. Know your worth."