"Stars are not important. There is nothing interesting about stars. Street lamps are very important, because they're so rare. As far as we know, there's only a few million of them in the universe. And they were built by monkeys." - Terry Pratchett
"Stars are not important. There is nothing interesting about stars. Street lamps are very important, because they're so rare. As far as we know, there's only a few million of them in the universe. And they were built by monkeys." - Terry Pratchett
Making stuff is the best part of life. I’m a creative person, so it comes naturally to me, and what I make is usually pretty good. But there are other things I do that don’t fit on the other pages of this website, so this is where they go. In other words, I’m about to brag about myself.
This is an umbrella term for what I would also call managing digital stuff. Whenever you’re making an organized effort, you have to know where you’re going. Often, that means tacking your sails to the wind that’s already blowing. Other times, you have to make the wind yourself.
Website - I managed the entire website for Carlow University, which was the convergence of a lot of different skills — not only did I make updates myself, modifying or creating content for different audiences for different parts of the website, but I had to make sure everybody else was following the same guidelines I was. At Carlow, we had an esoteric web content management system that required a whole lot of fast learning. Not only did I have to be the campus’s foremost expert, I had to share that knowledge with others.
Social Media - Much like the website, social media had a lot of chefs making a lot of different soups. We had over a dozen official accounts across all major platforms and each one had to represent the brand accurately and with integrity.
Training - I couldn’t be everywhere, and I didn’t know every aspect of every department, so I trained up a handful of trustworthy subject experts who could update the website. That involved teaching others how to use our CMS, making sure they understood the content guidelines, and then providing support when they needed it.
Comm Flow - I helped develop a communication flow for the enrollment management funnel. This meant devising personalized messages for customers at every stage of the admissions funnel. That included emails, text messages, print collateral and even videos.
Events - Engaging your audience online is one thing, but sometimes a personal touch is required. We rolled out our Snapchat account with a special event on campus. For a campus population notoriously difficult to get involved, we had a great turnout.
I led teams of other marketing professionals (and some interns!) who started with an idea, developed a plan, executed the plan, and followed up on the bits and schnibbles that remained. A teacher I knew referred to the little pieces of paper that remained when you tore out a page from a spiral notebook as “schnibbles” and I love the word so much that I love using it. But I also know when not to use words like schnibbles, and how to keep the team on target.