In the meantime, what follows are samples of a variety of different projects coupled with a brief description of my role and, where possible, some measurement of effectiveness.
In addition to being responsible for the content, messaging, writing, layout and distribution of all monthly residential bill inserts, I managed all business inserts for 350 K commercial and industrial customers. Sometimes I was able to use similar "stories" across both markets however, adjust the writing style and content based upon the audience.
Bill inserts are cost-effective. This economical print communication can help sell products and services, especially when integrated with direct mail, and website and social media postings.
Cost-effective and communicating-effectively go "hand-in-hand" with the bill insert sample below.
Get mileage out of required inserts. As a public utility, our company was frequently required to distribute "public information" to utility customers. Below is one example of a required environmental disclosure to all residential electricity customers in Illinois. After reworking the layout, I was able to inform customers of timely energy-related topics on the blank back flap of this mandated seasonal mailing.
Who opens the bills? Well it isn't always the person who would benefit from bill insert information. Therefore, in addition to inserting informational business customer mailings in the monthly utility bill, company managers (captured in our customer database) of over 4000 small commercial and industrial customers received a "direct mailing" in an attractive custom envelope each month. Our CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system stored a lot of data to assist sales in targeting customers for products, services, rates, etc. CRM accuracy, data population and maintenance was part of my responsibility. I was able to keep the data current and accurate through improved direct mail hygiene processes.
Business Marketing owned not only marketing projects, but many communication projects - responsible for not just communicating process changes, but influencing smaller business customers to embrace call center support in place of a designated account representative. It was a complicated methodology to sort customers, personalize direct mail and maintain or develop relationships with our smaller business customers. The growing electric company must continue to reliably service the unique needs of several hundred thousand small businesses and, market new technologies to increase revenues.
Below is a versioned business resource guide for larger commercial and industrial customers along with "Fax Back" request form for these account-managed customers. For smaller accounts, a Business Customer Service Center was created and promoted through several channels and collateral pieces including a Small Business Resource Guide, call center phone number magnet and small business account number card.
With Direct Mail comes Returned Mail! However, returned mail is good! I was responsible for the "Business Welcome Kit" mailing (below) sent to every new business customer - of which we processed thousands of new business customers each month. I redesigned the mailing from content to layout, design, and managed the data and personalization, using automated response tracking to update and maintain the business customer database. By instituting the bar code, we quickly, efficiently and inexpensively resolved the returned mail issue--which also significantly reduced delayed billing - resulting in prompt customer payments!
Counterintuitive....is promoting your customers to look elsewhere for their service or supplier! That was the task given to Business Marketing Communications with the introduction of Electricity Deregulation. This complicated initiative was to be communicated to all levels of our over 350,000 business customers. A comprehensive communication package was developed, versioned and distributed to various business customer accounts. A detailed integrated marketing campaign, complete with fax-on-request sheets, call center and account manager scripts and job aids were produced. Dedicated website pages, along with on-hold and on-bill messaging as well as bill insert coordination, publications, and news magazine articles reinforced the message that it is "Your Power. Your Choice."
News magazines can make a lasting impression on customers, especially when you highlight their business! I was responsible for quarterly publications for two different companies. I truly enjoyed this assignment as there is more time and budget to produce the articles, graphics, interviews, and photos. Resource Connection provides forward-thinking articles and interviews about electricity solutions and is targeted to larger, account-managed business customers. While E2E (R.R. Donnelley) is mailed to all business customers using Donnelley data services, packaging, mailing and print solutions. I was able to increase personalization, and save significant postage costs by simply redesigning the address label placement and packaging the publication in a window envelope.
When the subject is "money", people listen! Effective communication and market segmentation (and a free lunch, of course) draws customers to workshops and other special events.
Having had more than ten different positions over eighteen years between two companies makes you wonder what I did do, or what I didn't do? I would like to think it was what I did that provided me so many different experiences. From advertising and audio-visual services, to compensation programs administrator and labor relations. I hired. I fired. I even investigated claims and represented the company in law suits. One day I am supervising the overhead linemen, then the meter men and then I am the financial analyst for a million dollar business unit budget. In business marketing, I learned sales; while in IT, I became a technical recruiter!
Despite the hopscotch career, I was moving in an upward direction, with greater challenges and responsibility. Regardless of the job title, there was one common thread, my strong communications skill set. To round out a comprehensive portfolio of marketing materials, I have experience with internal communications, technical writing and human resources.
Samples of videos and films that I wrote, directed, in some cases edited and produced will be added soon!
