The right strategies and the right vehicle/s to meet the business goal.
Creating award-winning communications doesn't mean much if it doesn't meet critical business goals. I ask a lot of questions. Figure out which needle needs to move. Then design the strategy and tactics to make it happen. And nothing gets done if it can't be measured.
Here are a few key samples. I have many more to share.
Video Scripting & Production
Not only do I have experience writing for video, I also direct video production. For this sample, I did both. With the key goals in mind for the video (introducing a new company to both internal and external stakeholders), I worked with the featured leaders to refine their messages and provided delivery coaching on set.
Personals Ad Campaign
Working with my team, I crafted this campaign to showcase our company & the business leaders who set us apart in the market. The campaign was designed to:
• Open avenues for a dialog
• Highlight our product offerings
• Strengthen our brand voice
• Spotlight their thought leadership on our Fast Fast Forward
microsite (xlgroup.com/fastfastforward)
• Connect with our social media presence (particularly LinkedIn)
• Link to their Expert Profiles and related products on our
website
And the campaign worked. Using content marketing, traditional print, digital, social and events, we exceeded all expectations. Some highlights from just the first three months:
• 76% of campaign website visits were new visits
• Online ads outperformed click-through benchmarks
• Visitors converted and viewed additional pages on our site (and stayed there longer)
• Underwriters received business to quote directly
resulting from the campaign
Thought Leadership
Content marketing is a critical communications tactic. Not only can properly crafted content be used for PR purposes, it also strengthens brand reputation, drives conversation, increases web traffic, creates a repository for presentation materials and enhances the key leader featured in the by-line.
This sample was a part of a series of thought leadership articles I authored with the leader to drive conversation in the industry regarding hidden risks related to an aging workforce. The campaign was quite successful, landing the leader key speaking engagements and critical trade press.
Here are links to full samples of my thought leadership work:
Not Another Leadership Article
Sounding the Alarm: Wildfire prevention and exposure in construction
The State of Construction - High Tech and Human Touch
Weather Assessment Solutions in Construction
Value Proposition for Construction Business
Working closely with business leaders, brokers and target customers, I developed key messaging and marketing materials to articulate the value proposition for the XL Catlin North America Construction team. We tested and revised the message and offer until all parties agreed it clearly, succinctly and accurately conveyed everything the team had to offer.
Using the value proposition as a key element in their business strategy, along with other marketing communications I developed, the team reached revenue goals 12 months ahead of forecast.
In addition to this work, I also co-lead a team to develop the value proposition and brand messaging for the new firm we launched in 2015. See sample below.
Brand Messaging - New Company
My workstream lead and I developed brand messaging for our new company, XL Catlin. Built on the theme of 5 Ways, our message was both distinctive and motivating. It built a strong foundation for other critical messaging that we would craft years later.
Storytelling with Video
Our claims team needed to tell a story about why they're better than our competitors. We decided on video as the best means to disseminate the message.
I worked with the claims leadership to develop the key messages, draft scripts and talking points, recruit a representative cross-section of the claims team to star in the video.
It's among our most viewed promotional videos, but more importantly teams report that the video has helped in the selling process.
Brand Video Scripting & Direction
Working with the design team to create visuals, I developed the script to outline a value proposition for our brand. Hinging on our focus on content marketing, I used the theme of "experts" to position our people as knowledgeable, trusted leaders.
Event Marketing
At our industry's biggest trade show, it's critical to stand out. There are hundreds of exhibitors on the floor. Bringing traffic to our booth is important. After studying competitors, I learned most used generic appeals to attendees. I tested using location-specific appeals to get attention. The mini-campaigns combined traditional print, social and digital. We were particularly successful in New Orleans.
We produced the above series of cards, which we handed out in our booth when visitors would stop by. We also gave them to our sales team to use as a way to set meetings with prospects, complete with diecuts for their business cards. The cards were supported with a Twitter campaign aligned to raise brand awareness and drive traffic:
Know any good places to eat in #NOLA? Stop by booth 1401 and we'll share our faves with you. #RIMS2015
Il faut qu'on se connaitre mieux. Want to know what that means? Stop by and say "bonjour" at booth 1401. #RIMS2015
Maybe just a cup of coffee. Stop by booth 1401 & we'll share the secret to NOLA's brew. #RIMS2015
If you're going to Café du Monde, we wouldn't mind some beignets. Booth 1401 #RIMS2015
Feature Articles
This article is from a recent in-house publication, talking about teamwork. The by-lined author is a music fan and we were looking for a unique take on teamwork and collaboration. His hobby provided the ideal angle:
Making the Business Rock
I love rock and roll; especially at a concert. When the drums and bass are locked in, the guitar shines and the lead singer has the crowd on their feet. You might not think about running a business in terms of a rock concert, but they have more in common than you might think. Not least of which, XL Catlin’s Leadership Essentials: Have a Vision & Set Strategy, Advance Talent & Culture and Inspire Success. Check it out.
Lead Vocals. Think about your favorite band. It’s often the lead singer who guides the band, focuses their vision and literally sets the tone. She might not write every song, but she definitely influences the interpretation and arrangement.
This is your key role as a business leader; you create the vision and set strategy. Without this foundation, your other efforts won’t be able to go very far.
The Crew. I don’t care how talented the lead singer is, no concert let alone a tour gets done without a solid crew: the people who get you where you need to be on time and on budget, who make you sound great (even on a bad night) and who help put things back together when something goes wrong.
When you have a clear vision and create the best possible environment to execute that vision, it’s a lot easier to attract and retain the right talent. You’ll help the firm, your team and individual colleagues succeed
Bass. A good bass line is a powerful thing. During the song, you might not be aware of it. But take it away and you immediately know it’s missing. The bass supports the drums and ties the rhythm and melody.
Metrics play a similar role; they’re both strategic and tactical. Without them you won’t know your plan is falling apart until it’s too late to adjust. We have an array of metrics that guide us and keep us on plan.
Lead Guitar. I love a good guitar solo. So do the guitarists. They get a chance to step out front, take the spotlight, show their skills and get the crowd going. And each one has a different style, using a variety of techniques and tools to get the right sound for each performance.
No business is all about a single leader. You have to give your people time to shine so they can advance and be successful. It’s not just a good idea; it’s your responsibility to them and your teams.
Liner Notes. Building a business that rocks takes effort. A clear vision and strategy will help you create the team you need to support it. Then using a Leadership, Planning and Execution (LP&E) model supported by the right business metrics to continually plan the work and work the plan you’ll set the course. Finally, turning over the stage to your team and letting them shine will help you deliver faster than you might have thought possible. And when it all comes together, well, it rocks.
Organizational Storytelling
Humans are naturally storytellers. We're hardwired that way. Weaving a strong story is critical to achieving business goals. Whether it's in a simple article, a campaign or a presentation.
I created a story for our sales team to use when introducing our company. They'd never had a tool like this to use and have reported it works well when trying to engage prospective clients who don't know who we are:
Insurance companies have spent a lot of time looking backwards. That’s where the data were. Insurers could get comfortable with risks. Study them thoroughly. Understand them fully. Cover them adequately. Price them fairly. That model worked literally for centuries.
The rate of change began to accelerate. A lot. New technologies debuting and developing. Advances spurring advances. Traditional business models disrupted. New industries began forming literally overnight. Along with new inherent risks that had never been seen before.
With our 3-part strategy that combines Talent, Continuous Improvement and Innovation we are looking not just forward. Fast fast forward.
XL Catlin is ready for the new state of change with an unfair share of the industry’s best talent. Visionaries. Colleagues who are ahead of the curve because that’s where the innovation is.
With a combined focus on continuous improvement and innovation, our teams
Partner with other innovators. Work alongside the advances. Understand them in real time. Be ready with the risk solutions when the technology takes off.
With increased strategic partnerships and a more effective use of data, we can remain out in front. Anticipating risk and being prepared with solutions before
Newsletters
I have extensive experience designing and writing newsletters (eNewsletters and traditional print) to increase engagement and awareness.
The top sample is an internal newsletter created to cross-market HR capabilities and content. The piece has been highly successful with average open rates of 81% and positive feedback, with over 70% rating the content as useful or highly useful.
The bottom sample is a piece that was designed to help address issues related to transparency and leadership trust. Like the Compass newsletter, the MD Digest has strong open rates (70%) and positive feedback regarding the usefulness of the content (also >70%)