Marketing & Promotion
In 1999 I received my bachelor’s degree and accepted a position as a marketing assistant. Every job since then has involved some—and, more often, much—marketing and promotion work. After producing product sell sheets and managing tradeshows for Sellstrom Manufacturing, I went on to Chicago Internet, where I handled web content development, keyword research, AdWords campaigns, and other SEO and web marketing projects.
For the National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Greater Illinois Chapter, I made print and online ads, created and wrote e-mail newsletters, started USPS and electronic postcard campaigns, and helped our internal departments (development, programs, and advocacy) cross-promote their work. Before social networking had really taken off in post-collegiate demographics, I also worked with our clients, fundraisers, and supporters to use built-in tools of our website’s content management system to connect with others who believed in the organization’s mission. And in 2006, the National MS Society’s home office signed me to a six-month freelance contract to produce a series of development e-mail templates that could be used by chapters across the country.
At National PTA, I consulted on various marketing projects and was part of the team annually tasked with creating the PTA Back-to-School Kit (now known as the Official PTA Kit)—easily one of the most popular benefits among the organization’s millions of members. As the managing editor at Willow Springs, I pushed the organization to market itself more aggressively (including with contests on the new blog, additional efforts to collect e-mail addresses, and cost-effective CPC advertising). I also sought out new exchange ad opportunities and alternative avenues for promoting the Willow Springs Fiction Prize.