KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
Digital Marketing
STRATEGY.
TACTICS.
DELIVERY.
I develop marketing strategies that start with audiences rather than channels.
My experience spans content, SEO, websites, social media, email, campaigns and measurement, but I don’t believe in choosing tactics before understanding the problem.
First: who are we trying to reach, what do they need and what do we want them to do?
Then we can decide what marketing should actually look like.
01.
Strategy
02.
Content
03.
SEO
04.
Social media
05.
Measurement & reporting
Marketing strategy
‘Strategy’ is one of the most overused words in marketing. Too often it is used interchangeably with ‘plan’. I see them as two different things.
A strategy gives you the direction of travel. It defines the audience, the problem, the opportunity and how you are going to achieve your objectives.
The plan comes afterwards. That is where channels, campaigns, content and deliverables come in.
I help organisations work out what they should be doing before everybody starts making things.
Content and campaigns
As a former journalist, content marketing is a natural home for me. I like finding out what audiences care about, what questions they are asking, where they are looking for answers and what might persuade them to pay attention.
From there, I develop content strategies, campaigns and editorial programmes designed to attract, engage and ultimately convert audiences.
That might mean articles, reports, social content, video, podcasts, email, websites or something else entirely. The format should follow the idea, not the other way around.
SEO
I have worked closely with SEO specialists for more than a decade and regularly use search behaviour to inform content and marketing strategy.
I can:
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carry out keyword and competitor research
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use tools such as Semrush
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identify search themes and opportunities
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create SEO briefs and outlines
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optimise existing content
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use search data to inform site structures and content plans
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write content designed to perform in search
I’m not a technical SEO. My strength is understanding what search data tells us about audiences, then turning that into useful content and decisions.
Websites and user journeys
A website should be organised around the people using it, not the organisation that built it.
I have worked on website migrations, redesigns and content programmes covering everything from audits, URL mapping and redirects to information architecture, content structure and rewriting.
I have also worked closely with UX designers, developers and subject matter experts to understand how people move through websites and
what gets in their way.
Sometimes the biggest improvement isn’t a new page. It is changing the way the whole thing is organised.
Social media and email
I don’t believe every brand needs to be everywhere.
Social media works best when there is a clear reason for using a channel, an understanding of the audience using it and something worthwhile to say.
I have developed social strategies and content programmes for brands across B2B and B2C markets, including Santander, Saucony and Embraer.
Email remains one of my favourite channels because it allows brands to build an audience they actually own.
Used properly, it can do far more than send promotions. It can nurture relationships, distribute useful content and move people gradually towards action.
Measurement and insight
Activity is pointless if you have no idea whether it worked. I use analytics, search data, audience research and campaign performance to understand what is happening and what should happen next.
I’m less interested in reporting numbers for the sake of it than in the all-important ‘so what?’
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What did people do?
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Why?
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What does that tell us?
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What should we change, stop or do more of?
I have worked with practitioners to define KPIs, build dashboards and turn channel-level performance into a story clients and senior stakeholders can actually use.
How I work
Understand. Strategise. Plan. Create. Measure. Improve.
1. Understand
Start with the audience, the market, the business problem and the evidence.
2. Strategise
Decide where the opportunity is and how marketing can help.
3. Plan
Turn the strategy into channels, campaigns, content and activity.
4. Create
Make useful, interesting things people might actually want to engage with.
5. Measure
Understand what happened.
6. Improve
Use that evidence to make the next thing better.
The process is simple. Doing it properly is the difficult bit.
Working with people
I have spent much of my career working between clients, writers, designers, developers, SEO specialists, social teams, account managers, senior stakeholders and subject matter experts.
A big part of my role is often helping those people understand each other.
I have led teams, facilitated workshops, developed briefs, presented strategies, contributed to pitches and new business and helped clients turn quite complicated problems into something we can actually do something about.
I’m a ‘yes and’ or ‘no but’ problem-solver by nature.
I prefer moving a conversation forwards to explaining why something cannot be done.
Experience
I have worked across sectors including healthcare, technology, aviation, automotive, financial services, hospitality, education, luxury and the third sector.
Clients and organisations I have worked with include:
Aetna International | Santander | Embraer | Harley-Davidson | Air Charter Service | King Edward VII’s Hospital | Kawasaki | National Centre for Writing | WorldHotels | Bentley | Broads Authority
My roles have included Head of Content, Content Marketing Director, Digital Marketing Manager and Head of Strategy.