Print Media
Printed marketing materials have not disappeared from the marketing mix, in spite of the inroads made by digital media. For more than 20 years, I have worked with graphic designers to develop brochures and other printed collateral for a variety of purposes.
Champs-Elysées, a publisher of foreign language products, was a direct-response marketing company, and I produced an array of direct-mail packages while there, learning how to achieve efficiencies in printing and mail processing. I also wrote and produced a printed newsletter that evolved into the vehicle for a biannual sweepstakes, which consistently posted ROIs of 300 to 600 percent.
I drew upon that expertise to develop printed sales collateral at ICA, a developer of medical software, and produced a variety of printed materials for Christ Church Cathedral, including a 24- to 32-page magazine published three times a year. The magazine included feature articles that told the stories of the various ministries of the church and offered numerous photographs of events and activities. In all printed pieces, I typically write all or most of the copy and work closely with a graphic designer to refine the design.
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Digital Media
When the Internet began to take off in the mid-1990s, Champs-Elysées quickly saw its potential. As the company’s chief marketing officer, I worked with the CEO and our team in the UK to build an extensive website that allowed us to reach foreign-language learners all over the world. We soon added the capability of capturing orders in multiple currencies, becoming one of the earliest adopters of e-commerce in Nashville. After experimenting with banner and pay-per-click advertising, we shifted our efforts to building an affiliate network of companies in our target market. This strategy proved very successful, and our affiliate network grew to contribute about one third of company revenues.
When I went to work for ICA, I launched an electronic newsletter for prospects and clients, and redesigned the company website to include a client portal and more flexible content management.
I have written copy for several websites since then and recently refreshed Christ Church Cathedral’s site. I also oversaw the production of a weekly electronic newsletter for parishioners, frequent email bulletins with pastoral news, and an annual Tithe of Time email survey.
Social Media
It is exciting to see how new technology platforms are enhancing marketing and communications. When I became director of communications at Christ Church Cathedral eight years ago, the church’s Facebook page was languishing. By enlisting volunteer help and regularly posting photos and updates, I’ve succeeded in more than tripling the Cathedral’s Facebook “likes”, and this past spring I began testing Facebook advertising for events. The Cathedral did not have an official Twitter feed when I arrived, which it now does. Twitter followers are growing rapidly and have more than doubled in the past year. Our church community is becoming more and more engaged through these platforms, and comments, shares and retweets are steadily increasing.
Corporate Editorial Services
For the last ten years, I have done editorial work for several companies in New York, including private equity firms that invest in financial services and energy, a major minerals and mining company, and a major multinational financial services firm. I have worked on a wide array of projects, including quarterly valuation reports, private placement memoranda, marketing presentations, annual reports, annual meeting presentations, white papers, press releases, and website copy. My clients appreciate the fact that I have an MBA and business experience that, combined with skills gained from 20+ years of editing and proofreading, allows me to catch issues with financial tables and other discrepancies that a general proofreader might miss. I even occasionally find typographical errors in legal boilerplate.
Trade Shows
On my first day as director of marketing at Informatics Corporation of America, the CEO informed me that the company had reserved an 800 square-foot booth at HIMSS, a healthcare technology trade show that attracts around 25,000 attendees each year. It was my responsibility to get the booth designed, built, and shipped—in less than six months. I hired an exhibition company to handle design and production, developed the visuals and messaging, and chose the furnishings. I also wrote and produced sales sheets and other print collateral, produced a customer testimonials video and a flash video presentation to run continuously on flat screen TVs around the booth, and partnered with a major healthcare trade magazine to sponsor a breakfast for high-level conference attendees. The event was such a success the board voted to give me a $10,000 raise and stock options. I went on to produce a pop-up display for use at smaller conferences and worked with the sales team to produce additional marketing collateral. The company’s participation in national and regional conferences became a major component of its marketing strategy.
Crisis Communications & Public Relations
During my career, I have generated local and national media coverage for several companies. At Champs-Elysées, I sent out press kits to national consumer publications and succeeded in getting stories written about the company in such magazines as The Robb Report, Entrepreneur, and Condé Nast Traveler, in addition to a short feature on “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio.
At ICA, I hired and managed a PR firm that focused on media relations with the trade press and executive speaking opportunities. I wrote press releases and coordinated my efforts with those of the professionals at the firm through weekly conference calls. We succeeded in getting our CEO several speaking opportunities at industry events and saw a steady increase in pick-ups of our press releases, which helped raise the company's visibility in trade publications.
My duties at Christ Church Cathedral included publicizing Sacred Space for the City Arts Series productions, educational symposia, and other events. I sent out press releases, post notices to online event listings, and did targeted outreach. I also was in charge of developing the messaging and promotion for the annual stewardship campaign and a new planned giving initiative that was recently launched.
The Cathedral magazine. Click on the image to read