Ailsa Page | Professional Speaker, Marketer, Author
Your classic after lunch speaker
There are professional speakers, and then there’s Ailsa Page. Renowned for her energy, infectious enthusiasm, and ability to instantly captivate a crowd with her inspiringly witty and insightful comedic style, she brings a unique wow factor to every speaking event. As an award-winning business owner of AP Marketing Works, author of 3 marketing books, and lover of all things marketing, Ailsa has changed the game (and the bottom line) for small businesses around Australia for 20+ years.
Having shared her expertise with 1000s of clients including government groups, community organisations, and business associations to small business entrepreneurs, Ailsa has a gift for transforming any event into a powerhouse performance that leaves your audience with a renewed vigour and motivation to succeed.
This is where I really found marketing, or perhaps more accurately, marketing found me. I jumped head first into the Fundraising sector (why do anything by halves!) where shoestring budgets and the need to save every penny honed my steadfast belief that the amount of money spent on marketing didn’t relate to success.
Used my ‘shoestring marketing’ principles to get on my bike and pedal with Bicycle Victoria, increasing their membership by 300%. This was also the year I started my first business, APT Training, delivering marketing training to not-for-profit organisations.
Hit the books at the Melbourne Business School to nurture the business part of my brain and develop corporate marketing strategies.
Started Ailsa Page & Associates and joy of joys, found my love of music in tune with my love of marketing when I was appointed the Marketing Director for the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz. Winning award after award didn’t go to my head but mixing with the likes of then Prime Minister John Howard and actor Bryan Brown… maybe a little!
Officially changed the name to AP Marketing Works and became all Pty Ltd.
Before social media was the marketing beast it is now, I was ‘Marketing Geek’ podcasting with Phillip Greenwood where we discussed helping businesses understand how social media might work for them. And was appointed a judge for the Telstra Business Awards.
A real corker of a year, I literally hit the bottle and formed the business ‘Wine chicks’ with my sister, running our own wine shop. After winning a Women In Business Award for Business and Professional Services, my glass was definitely more than half full.
I’d caught a serious case of the marketing smarts, and what better way to spread it around than strutting my stuff on a roadshow to regional Victoria for the Small Business Festival.
I published my first book “Shoestring Marketing Kit for Small Business” – on a shoestring of course.
Joining the Shepparton Digital Enterprise Program gave me the opportunity to get down and dirty with the locals at Shepparton, helping them embrace technology to grow their business and improve their marketing. With a constant stream of tomatoes and fruit discussion, I had a lot on my plate.
Published “The Year I Owned a Wineshop”, sharing the biggest business learnings I gained during one of the most transformative years of my life. Goes down very nicely with a sparkling shiraz.
The year that led me here as I was awarded with my Certified Speaking Professional Accreditation. Proud moment.
Published “Get Good or Get Off”, a guide to getting it right on social media.
Took the “Bullet Proof Your Brand Online” on a roadshow during the small business festival and launched my second online course. Was appointed President of the State Chapter of Professional Speakers Australia. Oh, and eloped to Sicily and ate my way through Paris and Rome!
Survived COVID 19 pivoted to online delivery – even built my own studio to ensure top-quality remote delivery. Ability to go global.