The way you tell your story makes a difference. Digital spaces can provide new opportunities to connect brands, products, and services with customers to build strong relationships. My content strategy approach begins with user-focused research designed to identify needs, benefits, pain points, and potential barriers. Next, ideation – how can we make the experience clear, simple, easier, accessible, better? Package it all with friendly, plain language copy delivered in organized, bite-size chunks to make the user experience more efficient, easy, and even pleasant.

My first love was copywriting: print, tv, radio, technical, formal, retail, newsletters, B2B – all the traditional stuff. I’ve written for casinos and banks. I’ve written for lawyers and doctors. I’ve written for political candidates and issues and developed materials for yoga retreats. My most current copywriting body of work has been public health oriented – connecting people with science-based information that encourages positive behavior change.

Different perspectives are critical to the design thinking process. When you understand client needs, acknowledge stakeholder investment, compare research and competitive environments, think through user experience, and balance it with creative team input the outcomes will be better. Of course, budgets and timelines can challenge the process making teamwork and testing even more important. And, there is no substitute for regular campaign maintenance and user feedback loops so changes, upgrades, and clarification can improve the message along the way.

My recent focus has been related to public health issues and programs. When Covid-19 threw a professional-level curveball at a state agency that was used to working at a slow-pitch softball pace, my political campaign experience and ability to juggle a number of balls at the same time came in very handy.

I have crafted campaigns designed to reach underserved and priority populations in the areas of tobacco cessation and prevention, maternal-child health-related services, promotion of nutrition and physical activity, awareness around opioid abuse and misuse, meth use, addiction services, STDs/STIs, suicide, mental health, vaccine efficacy and safety, and health equity.

I have played a key role in developing research, authoring needs assessments, presenting audience analysis, and campaign strategy. I have also managed, administered, and monitored budgets and reported campaign success.

My experience with evidence-based processes and public health topics has inspired me to seek out projects that can positively impact people’s lives.

I gravitated toward account planning because I always have questions– about timelines, audiences, budgets, available assets, leverageable partnerships, and project goals. I’ve led research projects with stakeholders, written surveys, conducted focus groups, and generated user journeys. I’ve developed campaign strategies, driven the copy, executed, and reported back. I’ve also planned and supervised traditional broadcast and social media buys.

As a lead account supervisor, I’m no stranger to writing proposals, and developing a scope of work, budgets, or meeting agendas. I have authored formal communications plans, given presentations at CDC conferences, the National Conference in Tobacco or Health (NCTOH), and been a guest lecturer for the Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network. I have routinely coordinated collaborative training and given educational presentations.

Helping companies and programs define who they are has always been a rewarding part of my job. All too often, clients have a jumble of mission and vision statements, mottos, slogans, and value propositions. But, what are they really trying to say? What’s their personality? What is the promise they are making to the consumer and what type of relationship do they want to have with them? Cutting through the clutter and getting to the point is a great place for real communication to start.