ABOUT US

At Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing Inc., we know that our only success is your success. Our goal is to help you achieve your goals. And we offer a full range of marketing communications services to meet your needs.

About Our Experienced Leadership Team

Along with our strategic power partners, our leadership team applies its vast experience to help our clients get more website traffic, more leads, and more revenue.

Combined Years of Communications Experience

Combined Years of Digital Marketing Experience

Business Incorporation Year

Some of Our Testimonials

Improved Our Visibility and Traffic

“Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing has been instrumental in improving the visibility and traffic to our website utilizing SEO techniques. Her reporting, analysis, strategy, and implementation has been informative and educational for our team members. Nancy is detail-oriented and delivers measurable results to help us achieve our business goals. I highly recommend her.”

Debbie Marchok, Eli’s Cheesecake Company

Industry-Leading

“Nancy really knows marketing! Whether it’s long-standing traditional techniques or the latest in social media and web-based tools (SEO, inbound, WordPress, HubSpot, Facebook, etc.) she has a handle on all of them and can effectively help apply these to your companies growth strategies. She also has one of the very best LinkedIn profiles I have ever seen…which means an awful lot coming from a guy that makes a living helping people with LinkedIn ?”

Wayne Breitbarth, LinkedIn Expert, Sales Trainer and Author

More Website Views

“Nancy took hold of an OK website and made it more elegant and user friendly. Within a month my hits and views increased. Nancy is always available to talk or meet. She gives a most impressive presentation that analyzes your company and gives steps needed to increase rankings. She is worth every dime I paid. My increase in traffic has paid for her already.”

Dan Podgorny, Kids Kustom Parties

Marketing Expertise

“Nancy has been an important part of launching our new company, providing the expertise necessary to market our product. Nancy is extremely professional, listens and has worked hard to become an expert on every angle of our new product. She has impressive energy and has provided excellent direction with marketing strategies (social media, press releases, search engine optimization, etc.) while introducing our product into the marketplace. Working with Nancy the last few months has been a pleasure.”

Chris Strzalka, My 3D Mini Me

Engaging Content

“I always appreciate Nancy’s willingness to dig into a topic, take the time to gain a full appreciation of the issues, and then create engaging content. Nancy was an integral part of our brand consultancy and clients highly valued her contributions.”

Mark Stinson, Stinson Brand Innovations

Created a Unique Brand Identity

“Nancy helped me to articulate my consultancy’s brand messaging, value and unique identity. She evolved my brand identity with a new, distinctive logo and tagline. My stationery, business cards and templates now reflect my brand value. For my website, she outlined my site architecture, chose imagery, wrote the content, and optimized the site. I now feel proud to showcase my brand and my company’s value to the healthcare marketplace. I obtained “downtown” agency quality without extravagant agency fees.”

Nancy Hedlund, MedNavigate

Trustworthy & Ethical

“Nancy is a strong writer and strategic thinker who always strives to do what’s best for the client and for the company. She loves learning new skills and masters them quickly. Nancy is trustworthy, ethical, and works collaboratively with others.”

Marita Gomez, Marketing Communications Agency

Technology Upgrades

“Nancy has done a fantastic job with our technology upgrades and revised our social media. Thank you for a job well done!!!”

Carol Gabrielsen, Unemployment Consultants, Inc.

Knowledgeable & Thorough

“Nancy knows her stuff. She is so knowledgeable about what she does and is very thorough in her analysis and work. I have been very happy with the work she has done thus far. I would recommend her to anyone who wants to market their business!”

Katie Sleigh, Sleigh Family Chiropractic

Enthusiastic & Creative

“Nancy has a unique balance of all the qualities you would look for in a marketer. She’s not only enthusiastic and creative, but knowledgeable about her industry and determined to help you get your project finished on a deadline. Nancy helped me created a direct mail project for an independent senior living facility in our area. She developed the overall plan and led me though step-by-step to make our idea a reality. She really listened to the message I was trying to portray and was able to create content for my mailer in the best version of “my voice” possible. In marketing it’s rare to find someone who can balance the old with the new (e.g. direct mail and digital). Nancy really does it all and you won’t be disappointed!”

Daniellah Salario, Assisting Hands

Our Vision

Make the world a better place than you found it.

Our Mission

Collaborate with clients at small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in an atmosphere of mutual respect to develop brands, create marketing strategies, and implement tactics that generate measurable success.

Our Values

  • Honesty
  • Humor
  • Integrity
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Passion
  • Quality
  • Responsiveness
  • Respect
  • Can-Do Attitude

About Our Leadership Team

About Nancy Burgess
About Nancy Burgess

Owner, Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing

Nancy Burgess leveraged her corporate success as a digital marketer and her long-time marketing agency experience to launch Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing Inc. in 2016 (incorporating in 2018).

Almost immediately, she partnered with graphic designer Christine McCurdy. Later, she was introduced to Mark Cicatello, an expert at sales, technology, and marketing automation. Today, the three collaborate with other graphic designers, photographers, web coders, videographers, and other specialists to achieve measurable results for digital marketing clients.

A lifelong learner, Nancy’s passion and specialty is search engine optimization (SEO) services. This specialty requires constant monitoring, focus, and attention to detail. Additionally, she applies big-picture strategy and integrated marketing tactics to optimize clients’ digital marketing campaigns.

In addition to being the owner of Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing and an SEO expert, Nancy also is a published, award-winning writer. In the heyday of print publications, she wrote for the Chicago Tribune, Family Circle Magazine, the AARP, and many other publications. Today, this enables her to provide content strategies, SEO-optimized blogs, eBooks, social media, and other content for clients, helping them to attract customers and grow their revenue.

A Bronze Tablet graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Nancy Stearns Burgess also holds a master’s degree in science. Additionally, she attended DePaul-Kellstadt Graduate School for studies in email marketing, content marketing, internet marketing, and inbound marketing. She has years of hands-on experience in search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and more, having worked at marketing and branding agencies since the late 1990s.

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About Mark Cicatello

About Mark Cicatello

Senior VP, Marketing Technology

Mark Cicatello has more than 25 years of expertise in applying marketing technology and business intelligence solutions. He has created, developed, and implemented customer relationship management (CRM) strategies for both marketing and sales automation programs for well-known B2B and B2C brands, such as Nestle, Starbucks, and others. He has experience in a variety of marketing and sales platforms including:

  • Active Campaign
  • Act|On
  • HubSpot
  • InfusionSoft
  • Klaviyo
  • Mailchimp
  • Marketo
  • Pardot
  • Salesforce
  • Tableau

Mark holds a dual degree in Marketing with a minor in Management Information Systems from Alfred University in New York.

About Christine McCurdy

About Christine McCurdy

Senior VP Creative

Christine McCurdy is the Senior Vice President of Creative at Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing. As a talented graphic designer and illustrator, Christine has applied her creative hand  in countless design projects during the last 30+ years. These designs include:

  • Advertising campaigns
  • Brand identity development
  • Business-to-business (B2B) marketing
  • Consumer promotions
  • Digital design for websites
  • Environmental and exhibit designs
  • Packaging
  • Print materials

Similar to others on our leadership team, Christine has worked across a variety of industries including:

  • Communications
  • Financial services
  • Food service and restaurants
  • Healthcare
  • Manufacturing
  • Professional services
  • Retail
  • Telecommunications

Her specialty is problem solving through creative design concepts.

About Dawn Pennacchia

About Dawn Pennacchia

Senior Graphic Designer

Since 2023, Dawn Pennacchia has been a valuable collaborator with Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing. Her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois and Urbana Champaign, coupled with her postgraduate training at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Illustration and Graphic Design, have enriched our team with a wealth of design expertise.

Among other companies, her experience includes designs for well-known brand names such as:

  • Hostess
  • Kellogg’s
  • Lego
  • MOEN
  • Quaker Oats
  • Wilson
    Her creative strengths include brand identity programs, illustration, and conceptual designs. In addition to her digital marketing experience, she has developed more than 500 point-of-purchase (POP) product displays and designed and installed brick-and-mortar stores.

About Our Marketing Team

About Jillian Smith

About Jillian Smith

Senior Marketing Assistant

Jillian Smith first came to the attention of Nancy Burgess Strategic Marketing when she was awarded a scholarship by the Palatine’s Women in Business Advisory Forum, now called Women-Empowered Businesses (WEB). WEB is a part of the Palatine Chamber of Commerce. In January 2022,  our digital marketing agency offered Jillian a 6-month internship, learning about social media marketing, writing and creating social media posts, and editing content. In June 2022, she joined our digital marketing agency as a part-time marketing assistant.

Now a 2025 graduate of the University of South Carolina, Jillian holds a degree in operations management and supply change management, and a full-time job in her field. She has a keen eye for details, such as design, grammar, and spelling, which makes her a valuable asset to our company.

Our Commitment to Social Justice

Social Justice for People Close to Home, in Our Country, and Far Beyond Our Borders

We are committed to humanitarian efforts and donate both our time and resources to causes that help those who are food insecure, hungry, or starving. We also support medical and healthcare resources. Some of these may include:

Animals

We adopt and encourage dog adoption. We foster rescue dogs from Second City Canine Rescue.

Sustainability

We recycle, reuse, and donate gently used items, and encourage others to do the same.

Our Core Marketing Consulting Services

We incorporate our marketing expertise and integrated marketing strategies and tactics based on your business’s unique business goals and needs. These services help you efficiently achieve measurable results.

HIGH-IMPACT CONTENT CREATION

If your website visitors don’t stay on your page for at least 60 seconds, your content isn’t working. We turn passive website visitors into active leads through SEO-optimized blogs, email automation, and consistent branding.

  • Engage: Website and blog copy that increases time-on-page.

  • Convert: Email sequences that nurture and sell.

  • Unify: Consistent messaging from digital to print.

CUSTOMER RELATION MANAGEMENT & AUTOMATION

Stop letting leads slip through the cracks. We transform your CRM into a revenue engine.

  • Capture Every Opportunity: Automate lead tracking to ensure no prospect is ever forgotten.

  • Nurture Meaningful Relationships: Deliver personalized content that guides customers through the buying journey.

  • Scale Your Revenue: Deploy intelligent workflows that close sales while you focus on your business.

STRATEGIC COMPREHENSIVE MARKETING  

We can provide the full-scale marketing horsepower your SMB needs to thrive. From high-level strategy to daily tactics, we manage your brand’s total digital footprint.

  • Integrate Every Channel: Ensure your message is consistent across web, search, and automation.

  • Eliminate the Guesswork: Rely on a dedicated team to track performance and pivot for results.

  • Own Your Market: Build a dominant presence through a sustained, professional marketing offensive.

 

BRAND IDENTITY CREATION

Make an unforgettable first impression. We combine professional design with precision messaging to build a brand that feels premium, looks consistent, and stays top-of-mind.

  • Showcase Your Excellence: Logos and visual design that reflect your professionalism.

  • Command attention: Branded verbal messages that are relatable and speak to your audience.

  • Stay Top of Mind: Be the go-to source for your industry.

MODERN WEBSITE DESIGN

Transform your online presence into a 24/7 growth engine. We create professional, AI- and SEO-ready websites that build immediate credibility and rank where it matters most.

  • Be Found: Optimized for SEO and AI search visibility.

  • Be Trusted: Professional design that converts traffic into revenue.

  • Be Seamless: Lightning-fast, mobile-ready performance.

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SEARCH & AI DISCOVERY

If they can’t find you, they can’t hire you. We bridge the gap between your services and your future customers by optimizing for the modern search experience. From Google searches to AI mentions, we ensure your business stays visible and relevant.

  • Get Discovered: Rank higher for the terms that actually drive business.

  • Stay Relevant: Adapt to the shifting landscape of AI-driven information.

  • Drive Traffic: Turn search intent into measurable website visits.