LuJean Smith is the Global Communications Leader for GE Water & Process Technologies. In this position, she manages communications for the company, including marketing, public relations and corporate communications. She makes sure that consumers are aware of what GE is doing to improve their products and their business, across the board.
LuJean has been working in Communications for over twenty years. Going from healthcare giant Siemens to a hospital, then a small regional bank in Ohio to GE, she has extensive experience in the field. With the advent of social media, she is learning to adjust to new marketing tactics. “Social media makes it easier to target and track customers. It is easier to recognize differentiation points,” she explains.
These online interactions are vital when determining what is important to GE’s customer base, which includes other businesses as well as individuals. She strives to demonstrate the value of what her company does. The ability to link digital interactions to actual purchases allows her to see which marketing investments are worthwhile. This helps ensure she is doing what is best for the company.
This is in conjunction with the company’s efforts to do what is best for our community. Located in Trevose, GE is constantly giving back to Bucks County. Much of this involvement is through the United Way of Bucks County. In fact, 79.4% of employees at the Trevose campus contributed to UW Bucks last year. GE is dedicated to raising awareness of local issues and engaging their employees on these issues to help address them.
LuJean is one of these employees. Being part of a company that is so involved with the community reinforces the importance of putting out positive messages to their publics. But LuJean has it covered – she knows what the company needs and how to get it done. And she was full of advice for an aspiring communicator like myself.
“Early in your career, get a general position and find out what you really like. Working for a big brand will make other companies respect you, and teach you the caliber of the communications world,” she told me. “Learn about finance because communications can affect stock price and you want to be able to understand that. Build relationships with others and know how to use them.”
Coming from a communicator with so much experience, I know this is advice I will take to heart. Thank you for your time and your insight, LuJean!
About the Contributor: Katie Pilot is the Marketing Intern at UW Bucks for the summer. She is a rising senior at Villanova University with a major in Communications. Due to her passion for social justice, particularly the importance of education, she is excited to help get the word out about UWBucks’ great contributions to the county in hopes to get more people involved.