Who is Erika McInerney?

Erika McInerney smiling, standing outdoors against a colourful brick wall with graffiti in Warragul, Gippsland, wearing a denim jacket, pink blouse, and holding a laptop and phone.

It’s me, hi 👋

Thanks for tapping through to this page, I’m really glad you’re here so I can help you get to where you want to go. I’m always interested in what makes people tick and, if you’re here reading this, I think we might have that in common.

So how did I get here?👇

I have always loved storytelling but I’m also a bit of a nerd so advertising and marketing seemed a natural step for me after I finished my first degree in Media and Communications.

Of course, I thought ad agency life would be all beer and ping pong (there was a bit of that) but mostly it was hard work and long hours. Now, almost 30 years later, I look back on my career and see the value it presents not just to me, but to you.

The biggest gift I have is the ability to walk into a small business or community organisation and find my way to the heart of your problems and immediately start working on solutions. I know people and I know what works.

I talk about my qualifications and experience because in an increasingly AI-generated world, I know you need to trust that I can deliver more than just fluffy words.

Over the years I’ve completed a BA Media Comms, Masters of Marketing, Certificate in CX (Customer Experience) and I’m proudly a Certified Practising Marketer with the Australian Institute of Marketing. I’m one of those lifelong learner-types so I’ve also completed way too many short courses and platform-specific qualifications (ask me what I’m earning at the moment).

I’ve worked with thousands of fantastic clients on projects of all sizes and scopes. I’ve won awards, been a finalist many times, managed teams and ran an ad agency for a while. I spent time working in other businesses where I was exposed to different ideas, work practices and communication styles. I learned to adapt quickly, to be flexible and to comfortably work across multiple industries at once.

I also travelled extensively, until we had two kids and moved to Warragul, Gippsland declaring I was “done with advertising”. Then I co-created the Warragul Farmers’ Market, leading me to fall in love with small business and community and with the power that social media held in supporting those two things. So my third child was born in early 2016 - this business baby Mac&Ernie.

That’s my story in a nutshell. Follow me on social media for the rest of the story.

Erika McInerney looking relaxed and happy in a denim dress with green earrings. Mac&Ernie's expertise and commitment to values ensures we deliver on promises.

About Mac&Ernie

Here are three key aspects that shape this business, what my team delivers for our clients and community, and how we deliver on those promises.

Honesty and authenticity is our happy place
We are here to support and guide small business owners, community organisations, leaders and anyone overwhelmed by marketing or social media.
We’re committed to helping your business grow ethically, avoiding any tricks or shortcuts that are out of character or not useful. With Erika’s experience, qualifications and certifications, we’re fully equipped to solve problems and find effective solutions.
We genuinely care about businesses in smaller towns and rural areas. While Erika also works outside the regions (thanks to the magic of technology), she spends a lot of time out and about across Gippsland soaking up all the gorgeous energy and passion to be found in those ‘hard to reach places’.
If you’re in a small town, we understand the challenges you face and are here to help you achieve the business success you crave. We know that your growth doesn't just impact you – it ripples through your entire community and beyond.
Intelligent and enjoyable training: Our training isn't dull; it's smart, impactful, and relevant. You'll gain insights that lead to real business and mindset improvements.
Measurable results: Our strategies go beyond theory – they lead to increased sales and growth for your business and community.
Clear delivery of strategy and training: Erika is an expert, but she speaks your language. Her goal is for you to achieve your goals - whether that’s sales and marketing success, learning new skills or simply boosting your confidence.
Erika is obsessed with creating smart marketing strategies and content that works. She’s a big big advocate for people powered marketing in this AI generated marketplace.
You’ll find we’re not interested in following the crowd if it doesn’t suit you.
Drawing from Erika’s extensive experience and deep knowledge of consumer behaviour, we devise and deliver creative strategies that resonate and connect with your audience.
Erika can also deliver one-on-one marketing and social media mentoring and coaching that will build your skills, knowledge, capacity and confidence and stop you stressing and guessing about what to post and when.
Erika and the team provide clear explanations and instructions, avoiding confusing jargon and will always keep examples relevant. There’s no point teaching you the latest strategy from Mattel’s Barbie Brand if it has no relevance to your business growth and success.
Mac&Ernie often collaborates with local governments, business networks, and franchises to provide low-cost and accessible training to businesses, community organisations, and groups with a common purpose or problem.
Through her own social media, newsletter, podcast, blog, workbooks and guides Erika provides a stack of actionable tips that are low or no cost.
Not everyone has the budget for training - we get that. We give you enough to get going so you can see the value and benefit of knowledge and DIY your way to success.

Why people-powered marketing?

There are so many fabulous ways to use artificial intelligence throughout your business, but at Mac&Ernie, we see the value in holding tight to the human touch, especially in service-based businesses and community organisations that rely on trust and connection to succeed.

People-powered marketing is all about leveraging authentic interactions and relationships to increase your reach and impact. It focuses on real connections, genuine conversations, and community involvement. Unlike the current lean towards AI generated content and ideas, this approach amplifies the influence of human interaction and storytelling to attract and engage your audience.

In a nutshell–it’s marketing powered by the real people and real stories found within your business. I’m not saying we don’t use AI, we just don’t use it the way everyone else does. We teach you how to use it to support your business without AI taking on the main character energy that’s prevalent today.

People powered marketing is:

Engaging authentically with your customers–generating real, meaningful conversations, both online and offline.
Creating a strong sense of community around your brand by involving customers and supporters in your story.
Sharing stories that resonate on a personal level and highlighting the human side of your brand.
Focusing on the customer or clients’ interests, needs and behaviours.
Encouraging your customers to become advocates for your brand by empowering them with your mission and values.

If all that sounds good, but you need some examples:

Relationship building through emails, loyalty programs, personalised interactions and customer experiences.
Contributing to local events or community projects, and collaborating with community leaders to boost your brand’s presence.
Encouraging your customers to share their personal stories and experiences with your brand through social media or your website.
Developing automations and systems that make it easy to get answers and connect with you but with a human voice.

We prioritise:

Differentiation by offering your audience something unique—an authentic and relatable experience they'll remember.
Trust because it’s an important factor in building loyalty–which happens you prioritise genuine interactions over automated responses.
Personalised experiences to create meaningful and lasting impressions that go beyond a transactional relationship.

At Mac&Ernie, we don’t mind a bit of AI to take the edge off the time-consuming and boring stuff, but we double down on humanity when it comes to developing brands and experiences that are trustworthy, memorable and shareable.

Always happy to have a chat about what this looks like for you.

In a world filled with automated interactions and AI-generated content, people powered marketing helps your business stand apart by prioritising authenticity and human connection.

Mac&Ernie allows me to help the businesses I love;

Learning, teaching, encouraging, chin wagging, mentoring, creating stories, inspiring and helping small businesses grow and community organisations thrive.

I get to live in beautiful Gippsland and work within the values I cherish: knowledge, integrity, community and creativity.The best part is that I get to share all this with you.

Mac&Ernie is guided by these core values:

Knowledge

Lifelong learning, committed to sharing knowledge with you. Digital and social media marketing can be confusing and hard to keep up with. We do the hard work for you - navigating the changes and distilling the important stuff into what is specifically relevant in your business or your industry.

We strip out all the jargon and fluff and build marketing strategies and content plans that are smart, effective and relevant. All Mac&Ernie training is developed with your success in mind - whatever success looks like to you.

Creativity

The marketing and communication solutions we work on will be effective and we’ll get there together by being innovative, fresh and creative in our approach.

There’s no cookie cutting here (just cookie eating). Everything we do takes time because we’re not working from templates and we’re not just using AI. We work with you, wholly - your purpose, your goals, your challenges, your time commitments, your skills, your resources.

Integrity

Integrity means different things to different people. To us, it means openness and honesty and you’ll find that’s exactly how we roll. Erika has built a reputation throughout Gippsland and Australia for being trustworthy, and for guiding with honest feedback that is always kind.

Community

Perhaps the most visible of Mac&Ernie’s (and Erika’s) business and personal values a commitment to helping strengthen local communities throughout Gippsland and Australia. When we work with you, we’re not only invested in your success, we look at your role in the bigger picture and explore ways to connect and collaborate. Community can be hyper-local, online or even global - but is always an incredibly important part of business success.

Erika has been both a volunteer and paid mentor since 2016, working with organisations such as Small Business Victoria, Australian Small Business Advisory Service, Digital Solutions Program, Startup Gippsland, Inspiring Rare Birds, She Mentors, Australian Marketing Institute, Ken Hore Tourism Mentoring and more. She regularly donates time and skills to local organisations with aligned values.

How does it feel to work with Erika and the Mac&Ernie team?

Navigating marketing and social media can be intimidating. We’re here to make it friendly and fun.

We blend warmth, honesty, and humour to build your confidence. Erika’s experience and genuine concern for your needs makes Mac&Ernie a business partner you can rely on.

The way we see it, this reputation has been built over almost 30 years of working in marketing and advertising plus the authentic collaborations and relationships that Erika has built in work and play.

It’s built on:

Results - hard work pays off
Keeping promises - there’s no ‘fluff and bluff’ here
Being thorough - the big picture is great, but small details make the difference
Valuing feedback - committing to continuous improvement

From our base In Gippsland, we connect with clients all over Australia and New Zealand to develop smart marketing strategy, deliver workshops and masterclasses with a practical punch and, through a network of trusted creatives, provide brand and graphic design, annual reports and websites.

Mac&Ernie provides a high-end agency service without the high price tag.

Get in touch