WHEN YOU WORK WITH AMBIDEXTERITY

THE LEFT HAND KNOWS WHAT THE RIGHT HAND IS DOING

Communications Strategy

A marketing communications consultant is a lot like a management consultant. They ask you lots of questions about your business: Who are your most important customers? What do they like/dislike about your business? What do they need from you? What might they need? What can you give them that your competitors cannot?

Content Strategy

A lot has been written about SEO (search engine optimization) and experts in SEM (search engine marketing) abound. First page ranking remains the holy grail. Of course you need optimized content (that is written for Search Engines and Humans). The  geniuses at Google are continously striving to make algorithms which reward clear, informative writing. So, longer articles, if  interesting and information-rich, should rise to the cream of the crop. However, organic search is not always enough. Digital Ads, Paid Content, Social Media, Direct Response, Publicity and Media Relations are other ways to extend your message reach and frequency.

Marketing vs. Marketing Communications

What’s the difference?

The line between marketing and marketing communications disciplines is often blurry, but a marketing plan precedes and leads the marketing communications plan.

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Creative Strategy

We start with a Creative Brief which gives the writer and art director important guidance on the purpose of the communication; who you’re trying to reach, where they’ll use your product or service; why your existing customers or potential customers we want to use it; and what your message is.  A great brief summarizes the other promotions you’ve run and the results you’ve had. The brief indicates the look and feel you want to achieve, and the tone of the piece. It should also include timelines and approximate budget.

Planning

“Those who fail to plan, plan to fail”  ~ Ben Franklin

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About me

I’ve worked as a copywriter for 20+ years. My professional writing positions include:

  • Creative Director
  • Copy Supervisor
  • Copywriter
  • Content Writer
  • Technical Copywriter
  • Pharmaceutical Copywriter
  • Sales Promotion Copywriter
  • Direct Response Copywriter
  • Public Relations Account Executive
  • Communications Director

I’m also a visual artist‎, working mostly in pen and ink and watercolors. As the volunteer Grounds Coordinator for a 17-acre church property, I also do a lot of weeding. Both endeavors employ planning, visualizing, creating and editing skills that complement my work with Susan Carroll Creative.

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Copywriting and Content

I specialize in simplifying complex information and ideas into engaging communication. This includes sketching out concepts, with headlines married to interesting and relevant visuals. I listen carefully to what my client wants to say, and translate it into what their prospect would like to hear.

Hiring one writer for a multitude of communications disciplines and formats makes sense. You don’t have to pay for multiple writers doing the same research and getting your input. What’s more, one multidisciplinary writer can assure your brand voice, tone and messaging stays consistent no matter which type of media you’re using.

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Information Architecture

“No great ideas popped out of a computer!” George Lois once said. As much as we love all of our digital devices, nothing beats pencil and paper for sketching out ideas. So we start by brainstorming with you on a whiteboard or tissue (not Kleenex, as this is a happy process) to map out content, flow, and the tone and look of your website, plus any other requirements. We come back with concepts, rationales, an outline, navigation, and site map.  Once you’ve approved this, we create a visual rendering of the design’s home page and a standard template page, along with wireframes.

One last important step: we can give you a dynamic protoype — instead of more static renderings — so you get a feel for the user’s experience, prior to final design and development. This approach may save you a lot of time when getting to launch.

If you’d like to see how this process works, or simply discuss a project, please contact us!