An online community for women entrepreneurs, Sharp Skirts, was building membership, including an online forum and email list, from scratch. They needed a way to attract their target market with quality content that provided immediate value.
I provided the concepts, copy, and community management. My efforts focused on intentional, sustained cultivation of the community forum; for example, I created multiple online forum categories, including free and paid sections, with intriguing headlines and quality posts. I also implemented a bi-weekly e-newsletter rounding up the “best of” member forum posts, offering online forum tips, and marketing a monetized consulting service in the sidebar.
Online forum membership grew by 200% in four months. The email newsletter had a 40% open rate (industry standard is 15%).
In the client’s words: “As community manager, Ana had an amazing ability to truly listen to members and tap into ways to inspire and engage them. She fostered a creative, collaborative spirit in the community and always brought a fresh, thought-provoking perspective to every discussion.
It’s these same qualities that made her so wonderful to work with. If I ever had a question about which direction to go with the blog’s editorial content, about whether or not publishing certain pieces would be helpful or harmful to the community, or even about personal or professional matters, I always knew I could go to Ana for an informed, thoughtful opinion. She has a way of asking all the right questions, taking in your answers, and saying things in just the right way so you come away with a clearer direction.” -Natalia Sylvester
Jewelry designer Jivita Harris-Casey had been in business for over a decade, and felt like she had hit a plateau with the growth of her operations. Her talent was evident and craftsmanship impeccable, but she wanted to reach more customers and receive press coverage for her work.
I provided a biography and copywriting package for Jivita. Over the course of three days, I spent time observing and interviewing her at her home, jewelry studio, and at a craft fair; in addition I interviewed multiple friends and family members for their take on Jivita. The end result was a long-form biography in electronic and print book format.
The biography experience changed the way Jivita marketed her business. Using storytelling to connect with her customers, she started an email newsletter and consistent social media posting, both of which resulted in direct sales. Jivita created a photo book composed of jewelry photos accompanied by the biography text; it offers another way for potential customers to interact with her brand at shows, and is a special gift for her top customers. Finally, an excerpt from the biography was used for a pitch to Entrepreneur magazine, which landed her coverage in their Indie Merchant Gift Guide.
In the client’s words: “Ana nailed who I am at my core. I was surprised by how much I learned about myself. Talking out loud revealed aspects of my business that needed further investigation, inspired me to create bigger goals, and made me rethink how I work.” -Jivita Harris-Casey
Herbalife, a publicly traded global wellness company with $4 billion in retail sales, was launching a new skin and body care product line. Replacing an existing product line with new, scientifically formulated products required marketing collateral that gently phased out the older product line, articulated the product benefits, and provided simple talking points for sellers.
I provided concepts and copy for a range of marketing collateral including: flyers, signage, product descriptions, website copy, promotional emails, product labels, training guides, video scripts, corporate magazine articles, and more.
The new product line became the best-seller in the personal care section, with retail sales topping $5 million.
In the client’s words: “From a designer’s standpoint, my biggest need is to be able to work hand-in-hand with a writer. If something needed to be rewritten or shortened, Ana never varied or flinched. She tackled every project with integrity and drive to come up with the best copy to satisfy everyone involved.” -Jim Griglak
A statewide nonprofit, the Texas Council on Family Violence, needed to produce their annual report on women and children killed due to family violence. Due to staff turnover, there was extensive research, writing, and fact checking that needed executing within an eight-week timeline.
After an analysis of both the work left to be completed and the previous year’s report results, I provided research (including interviews and coordination with state agencies), a new branded concept, report copy, and fact-checking.
Annual report readership increased by 40% from the previous year. Press requests for interviews increased by 25% from the previous year.
In the client’s words: “Ana has a strong work ethic and always went above and beyond to deliver the best work possible as well as continually looked for ways to improve upon each task. I’ve also witnessed how Ana doesn’t lose her integrity and compassion in the midst of challenging situations.” -April Buentello
Do you want results like these for your business? You’re in luck, I’m for hire.
