The way you tell your story online makes a difference. I’ve been around long enough to remember when websites were essentially corporate brochures. But digital spaces have evolved. Online services are available 24/7 and products can be ordered with the click of a button. My content strategy approach begins with thinking through website function, accessibility, and user needs. Overlay that formal structure with friendly, plain language copy and deliver it 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.

My definition of collaboration starts with understanding client needs, acknowledging stakeholder investment, comparing research and competitive environments, thinking through user journeys, and balancing it all with creative team input. And, there is no substitute for regular maintenance and user feedback loops so changes, upgrades, and clarification can occur along the way.

My focus for the last decade has been on public health issues, programs, and topics. Covid-19 threw a professional-level curveball at a state agency that was used to working at a slow-pitch softball pace. Suddenly, my political campaign experience and ability to juggle a number of balls at the same time came in very handy. I learned so much and I was humbled to be called upon to help solve problems and develop urgent, life-saving messaging.

I have also helped develop campaigns intended 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, suicide, mental health, vaccine efficacy and safety, and overall health equity.

Not only have I played a key role in developing research, authoring formal needs assessments, presenting audience analysis and campaign strategy, but I have also managed, administered, and monitored budgets and reported campaign success.

My experience with evidence-based processes and valid research has impacted my copywriting and overall approach to content. My sales pitch is always grounded in verifiable sources and user benefits.

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 planned and supervised traditional broadcast and social media buys.

I’ve been the lead account supervisor for the South Dakota Department of Health for the last 10 years. I’m no stranger to writing proposals, developing a scope of work, budgets, or meeting agendas. I have authored formal communications plans. I have given presentations at CDC conferences, the National Conference in Tobacco or Health (NCTOH), been a guest lecturer for the Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network. I routinely coordinate collaborative training and give educational presentations for the South Dakota Department of Health.

Helping companies and programs define who they are has 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.