HOW I WANT TO SERVE YOU
Do you have a vision for a new product or service? Or for changing and improving your existing business or organization? If so, does it feel like you’re making slow, incremental progress? Or like every step you take towards it, it seems to just get further away?
If so, you’re in good company.
Indulging in too much planning, giving in to “shiny object syndrome,” and going it alone are just a few of the ways we get overwhelmed, give up, and never fully realize our dreams. Fortunately, you can always pick up where you left off. Unfortunately, you may end up in the same spot if you repeat the same mistakes…
…especially if you break rule #1: don’t go it alone.
Which is why I want to partner with you to help you achieve your vision.
HOW I PARTICIPATE [STRATEGIST] [MANAGER] [WRITER] [EDITOR] [PARTNER] [COACH] IN YOUR BUSINESS
STRATEGIST
As a strategist, I help you at the macro level to create a roadmap to success.
Strategy is just a fancy word for creating a plan and carrying it out. While practically no one and no organization completely adheres to plans, you’re more likley to achieve your vision if you have a plan and detour from it than if you don’t have one at all.
“Strategy is for shaping the world rather than accepting the consequences.”
MANAGER
As a manager, we get down to business and put your plan into place.
We’ll get into the tactics at the micro level, and create a system for efficiently managing your content, campaigns, and projects. I’ll advise you on the tools and resources you need for achieving your goals. We’ll document best practices, SOPs, and bring your vision to life in a way that’s fun, energizing and efficient.
WRITER & EDITOR
I’m an experienced copywriter with a journalistic mindset who sets high editorial standards.
I care about crafting compelling copy that inspires action and engagement. All copy has a job to do and together we’ll ensure your messaging aligns with your brand values, your audience, and your objectives.
PARTNER & COACH
As your outsourced partner, I’m on this journey with you, committed, and in your corner. Your success is my success! I’m working with you because I believe in you. And for the times when you don’t believe in you, I’m here for that, too. I’m going to encourage you, challenge you, listen to you, and support you.
I Provide The Following Services For Individuals, Small Businesses, And Those Still Just Thinking About It.
Brand
DEVELOPMENT
...Strategy & Management
- Your brand communicates who you are
- Your brand is your foundation, your essence
- It’s your opportunity to steer how others perceive you
Content DEVELOPMENT
...Strategy & Management
- Your content aligns with and communicates your brand
- Content is your brand in action, it’s how you express your brand
- Content has numerous forms & functions
Community Development
...Strategy & Management
- Your content connects you with your community
- Community-building fosters brand affinity
- Communities can lead to transformational change
I focus on brand strategy, content marketing and community building because they’re fundamentally interdependent. Your brand aligns with your vision, guides your content, and engages your community.
WHAT IS BRAND?
Ah, brand. That elusive concept that no one seems to be able to definitively grasp, but at the same time intuitively understands. Here’s Heather Fitzpatrick’s definition: “a brand is the reputation a company has within the market, relative to its values, operating philosophy, and value proposition, that facilitates the consumer’s decision-making process.” Alright, re-read that a few times.
Defining what brand means can be perplexing. But what you really need to understand is that your brand is your essence. Thus, it is your most valuable, albeit somewhat intangible, asset.
Let’s consider a really popular brand, like Nike. Nike is a multinational company and apparel market leader. It designs trendy, cutting-edge sneakers with a cult-following and has long held a top position in streetwear fashion and culture. It also makes fitness apparel which can be found on clearance at countless retailers. Nike has a logo and slogan that even elementary school-aged kids can recall and recite. And Nike is known for sponsoring elite sporting events and athletes at the pinnacle of their sport. Nike also gets negative press for its supply chain and production ethics.
All of this makes up the Nike brand. Far from just one thing, the Nike brand is constantly shaped in the minds of those who experience it.
Brand isn’t something you define once. Sure, it’s crucial to develop your core values, vision and mission, and document brand guidelines to steer how people perceive you. But as your presence grows and more people become aware of your brand and interact with it, it changes. Just like we evolve and our personalities change over time responding constantly to our environment, brands do, too. I want to help you not just define your brand, but help you steer its evolution.
Developing your brand matters because it helps you stand out in a competitive landscape– as well as assists you with developing cooperative partnerships. It reduces promotional costs, reduces price sensitivity, makes it easier for you to recruit and retain top talent, and it makes it easier for you to access financial and capital resources. Finally, it keeps you true to your purpose, and gives you a compass for navigating a constantly changing environment
WHAT IS CONTENT?
When you hear “content,” what immediately comes to mind? I always think of blog posts first. But content is much more than a blog post, or even a photo, video or infographic. Realizing that content is more than a blog post or Instagram story is key to understanding that content is a function of brand, which is a function of communications, and should be organized as such within your organization.
Wikipedia defines content broadly as “information and experiences that are directed toward an end user.” When you hear “content” now, usually what people are referring to is web content. Web content is broadly “the stuff which makes up your website.” Thus, not only is content all the usual suspects like blog posts, graphics and photos, it’s all text and all media on your website, including your homepage, mission statement, sales landing pages, footer, visual identity and more.
Furthermore, as the web has continued to evolve, numerous online digital platforms beyond your core website have arisen that give you other places to distribute the content you create, like social networking sites, podcast distribution platforms, eBooks, partner sites, and even OTT channels like Netflix. These platforms are powerful tools for for delivering your content and boosting brand discovery.
The content challenge brands face today is hardly a lack of ideas or places to share them. Nowadays, brands face the challenge of balancing their content ambitions with constraints, creating compelling content that resonates with their community and getting visibility on their content.
I’ve worked on too many content teams over the years drowning in ideas, with little to no capacity for evaluating, organizing or effectively executing on them. These teams, far from lacking talent, resources, or ambition, lose their way in content chaos because they lack a transparent and efficient production and distribution process for content.
Content development is complex, time-consuming, and can be expensive. It requires some degree of human resources and an ever-evolving management system and tech stack so you avoid costly and inefficient content chaos. This is why I insist on developing content management systems and strategies which, beyond just filling a calendar, fulfills your brand’s mission. Content that’s worth creating positions your brand within a greater movement, boosts discoverability, brand recall, and retention, establishes trust and credibility, inspires conversation and collaboration, and converts prospects to take your desired action.