What I Do

I know – you’re thinking “Wait a minute! I thought Barb was a stay-at-home-mom, she has another job too?” It’s true! While I love the SAHM gig I knew as soon as I left the corporate world that I’d need something to keep my toe in the water and my mind off playdoh. I’ve been managing my own consulting practice since the fall of 2000. So… What do I do when I’m not dodging nerf bullets, playing with legos, running kids to practices, sneaking in trips to the museum or helping with homework?

I write. I am an independent Marketing Communications Consultant focused on online communications.

I work with companies to create, improve and manage their online communications. Most of my projects are focused on websites and email campaigns. I am based in Northwest Indiana but my clients are from all over the country. A few examples:

• A company needs a website. I’ll organize their content, work with the developer to create the structure, write all the content and, in some cases, use content development tools to manage all site content updates.
• A company is updating their website. I’ll work with them to review their content in light of current goals and then I’ll revise/edit/write new content for the updated website. I also help companies revise their content to better work with search engines. (It’s called Search Engine Optimization or SEO for the online marketing geeks.)
• A company is interested in using email as part of their communication strategy. I’ll help determine where email can make an impact and then set up an email communication action plan. Plus I’ll write and distribute the emails – in effect, carrying out the action plan.

I also do a bit of PR, event planning, brochure writing etc. Since I started in the world of online marketing when it was very new – January of 1995 – I’ve got loads of experience in this environment. I understand just how different communicating online is from communicating in print. The goals may not be too different, and the message should remain consistent with other communications, but the style and technique is very different.

Do I write product reviews on this blog?
I do when the opportunity is right and if I’m being compensated in any way to do so I disclose that clearly. And sometimes I just write about stuff that I like, because I’m a mom and we could all use a little help finding good things!

I love my job. I get to learn about lots of different companies and I get to write in lots of different styles. If you or someone you know needs help with their marketing communications, please let me know.