STRATEGY DIRECTOR
THE STRATEGY
Applying strategy to marketing work means more than just having a creative idea, It’s about making every decision with purpose. Every move is intentional, from what audience is targeted to how we deliver the message. Ensuring that creative ideas are backed by clear goals, data, and purpose. Applying project planning systems to keep teams on track, research to ground decisions in audience insights, and data analysis to measure and refine performance. To ultimately take a need, and turn it into actions that deliver campaigns that are not only creative but also effective and results-driven .
THE STRATEGY OF STUDENT COMMUNICATIONS
Developing a strategic marketing plan for Clemson University that aligned with the institutional goals of "Providing The No. 1 Student Experience".
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Identifying targeted messaging initiatives to engage key audiences—prospective students, parents, alumni, and stakeholders, these plans outlined impactful objectives that spoke to core messaging needs.
By developing channels, exploring creative content and defining metrics for success, we developed cohesive messaging outreach that enhances reputation, supported enrollment, and fosters long-term engagement with current student audiences.​
Creating a messaging strategy around thematic messaging and impact timelines to provide structures for effectivity and connection to goals.
QUARTERLY TOPICAL MODEL
INCREASING CONNECTIONS THROUGH COLLABORATION
Aligning communications across subject areas that provided depth of messaging and interconnections that centralized the concept of "One University"
Every communication channel has unique uses case, and audiences, that we needed create content in alignment with to maximize its impact and reach.
MEETING STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE
Developing messaging strategies around student feedback and insight data, that created understanding what students were searching for, wanted to see and ultimately needed to know.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
// CLEMSON WORK
THE POWER OF STORYTELLING STRATEGIES
Storytelling can play a powerful role in creating the emotional connection between a brand and its audiences. ​Effective storytelling goes beyond simply promoting a product in a situation. It humanizes the brand, communicates its values, and reflects the audiences its seeks to reach.
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By developing compelling narratives from stories identified to resonate with target audiences and experiences, I use these creative assets to build out strategic messaging campaigns. Maximizing the diversity of ways story assets can be applied across varying channels to speak to specific target audience goals.
Always innovating on the ways an audience experiences a story across channels over time to build upon itself. I implement storytelling strategies that build brand awareness, challenging audiences aspirations, inspire engagement and driving meaningful traffic across platforms. ​
// CLEMSON WORK
// CLEMSON WORK
OPTIMIZING IMPACT WITH DIGITAL STRATEGIES
To maximize the impact of any strategy there needs to be a focus on leveraging digital channels that can enable efficiency and precision in reaching key audiences, while also providing measurable impact insights that inform effectiveness. ​
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Incorporating strategies that have utilized digital channels, and tools, like social media, email campaigns, SEO, digital ads, websites and digital signage to enhanced visibility and engagement with specific audiences to achieve goals.
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Taking advantage of data analytics, and real-time insights, from these digital channels to optimize messaging performance. Using that data to iterate, test and refine efforts along the way to ensure every campaign is aligned with its goals and delivers measurable, impactful results.
DIGITAL AD BUYING IMPLEMENTATIONS
Converting traditional media buying strategies of Clemson departments marketing initiatives into digital ad buying strategies that improved overall ROI of money spent, but also lead to record engagement rates.
HTML EMAIL CAMPAIGNS
Optimizing email communications to target audience needs by implementing more strategic messaging systems, designs, timelines and considered CTA's. All leading to increased messaging performance rates.
STUDENT AFFAIRS WEBSITE REDESIGNS
Maximizing website resources, and organization, that matched user experience needs and insights captured from Google Analytics. Updating navigational structures, key word search terms (SEO), meta tagging and content update timelines.
INSIGHT TRACKING AND IMPLEMENTATION
Implementing insight tracking tools across web, social media, and email platforms into cohesive matrices. Tracking performance baselines and comparative changes to inform annual goal setting.
// CLEMSON WORK
MARKET RESEARCH
Market research systems have been key to really understanding what our target audiences are looking for. Making sure our outreach and creative deliverables are speaking to the right students, in the right way.​​
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Using surveys, focus groups, and data insight analysis across campaigns, we've clarified the picture of student needs, preferences, and decision-making processes. Shaping more targeted and authentic messaging strategies to impact our goals.
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Audience assessment practices that have included survey development, A/B testing, focus group feedback sessions and observational data collection have been applied across campaigns. Ranging across topics of student health and wellbeing perceptions, career preparation and readiness, and brand awareness to deepen understandings of audience perspectives and adapted to campaign strategies impacting performance goals year-over-year.
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Tracking relative competitor standings across rankings and performance metrics improves our ability to recognize trends, adapt content strategies and see opportunities from comparative weaknesses. Leading the needs for projects like YouTube platform analysis and podcasting development opportunities.
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// CLEMSON WORK
// CLEMSON WORK
YOUTUBE MARKET ANALYSIS
AND CREATIVE PITCH
VIDEO WORK AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Implementing video and social media content strategies is one of the best ways to connect with college students. Meeting them where they are at on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube is important to reaching audiences with proactive messaging that informs, inspires and engages them.
Short-form videos, behind-the-scenes content, and real stories from other students grab their attention and build trust. With the focus on being authentic, relatable and exemplifying how the Clemson brand aligns with their interests. ​
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Current, and prospective students, now use social media as a primary search tool. Looking up schools, programs, and perspectives on student experiences through social searches on platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Having cohesive content strategies, messaging goals, awareness of trends, key word tagging and call-to-action plans makes a big difference in how we are being discovered and remembered by these audiences.
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SHORTFORM SOCIAL SERIES
With a focus on "reaching audiences where they are at", we developed social focused video content highlighting student experience interests, inspirational testimonials and contextual perspectives around key search terms, engagement metric data and user feedback insights.
YOUTUBE VIDEO CONTENT
Seeing YouTube as the replacement for many audiences traditional television usage, we create projects that both entertain and inform audiences of the brand experience and alignment with themselves.
SOCIAL MEDIA BRANDING
Focusing on a hub-and-spoke model for student focused content at Clemson, our rebranding of these accounts to Clemson Student Life positioned us to be both more searchable and a credible resource.
COLLABORATION AND INTERCONNECTION
Development of content strategies to empower the interconnection of channels and brands to create a Social Media Ecosystem. Where account objectives support each other rather then compete for attention.
// CLEMSON WORK
MANAGING THE PROCESSES
Incorporating project management processes into marketing strategies have helped teams stay organized, timely and aligned with the priorities of thier work. Wether its as technology development teams, creative design project groups or account managers we utilize project management methodologies to ground the strategies by which we pursue the work.
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The consistently used method of priority scoping has helped me develop annual marketing strategies and communications plans centered around the most relevant, and impactful, needs of a project or initiative.
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Managing teams with Agile methods of project flows can feel like playing 3D chess at times, but allowing teams to retain flexibility allows for creative problem solving and solutions to needs discovered throughout the life of the projects. Support teams through the unique needs of each project.
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Always focusing on the end goals of ensuring our work, no matter the industry or team, aligns with the purpose of our teams and is delivered with a level of excellence that comes from working collaboratively and creatively.
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// AGENCY WORK
