I’m a writer, storyteller, designer, organizer, problem-solver, and researcher.

Over the last decade, I have produced two daily news publications in East Central Illinois while also helping local businesses identify their needs and create the necessary material to reach their audience. Whether it’s building a website, creating space for a story, or drawing people to an event, my main goal is to bring people together in community.

I believe a free press is fundamental to a healthy society. Aside from the day-to-day editorial responsibilities that come with running a publication, I am an investigative reporter who is not afraid to ask questions and research topics that are paramount to making educated decisions.

• Visual Branding: Proficiency in creating and managing the visual elements of a brand, including logos, color schemes, typography, and design guidelines, to ensure a cohesive and memorable brand identity.
• Brand Storytelling: The ability to craft a compelling narrative that communicates the brand’s values, mission, and unique selling points, helping to create an emotional connection with the audience.
• Market Research: Expertise in conducting market research to understand customer perceptions, market trends, and competitive positioning, which informs the development and evolution of the brand identity.
• Brand Guidelines: The capability to create and document brand guidelines that detail how the brand identity should be applied consistently across all communication channels, both internally and externally.

• Competitive Analysis: The ability to conduct thorough competitive analysis, identifying key competitors, their branding strategies, and market positioning to inform strategic brand planning.
• Customer Segmentation: Skill in segmenting the target audience and understanding their needs, preferences, and behaviors to tailor brand strategies effectively.
• Value Proposition Development: Expertise in crafting a compelling value proposition that sets the brand apart in the market and resonates with the target audience.
• Market Entry Strategies: Proficiency in developing strategies for entering new markets, including geographic expansion or targeting different customer segments, while aligning these strategies with the overall brand positioning.

• Storyboarding and Scriptwriting: The ability to plan and script content effectively, whether it’s for videos, animations, or multimedia presentations, ensuring a cohesive and engaging narrative.
• Content Promotion and Distribution: Knowledge of content promotion strategies, including social media promotion, email marketing, and outreach efforts to maximize content reach and impact.
• In-Depth Research: Proficient in conducting thorough research to gather credible sources, data, and insights, ensuring content accuracy, depth, and relevance to the target audience. This research-driven approach has consistently enriched content quality and supported data-driven storytelling.
• Storytelling Mastery: Adept at crafting compelling and cohesive narratives that resonate with audiences, leveraging storytelling techniques to engage, inform, and evoke emotions. The ability to weave data, anecdotes, and compelling narratives has consistently resulted in content that captivates and drives audience connection.

• Competitive Intelligence: The ability to gather and analyze information about competitors, including their products, pricing strategies, market share, and marketing tactics to identify strengths and weaknesses.
• SWOT Analysis: Proficiency in conducting SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analyses to assess the internal and external factors affecting a company’s market position and develop actionable insights.
• Trend Analysis: Knowledge of how to identify and track market trends, including consumer preferences, technological advancements, and industry shifts, to inform strategic decision-making.
• Market Entry Strategies: Expertise in evaluating and recommending market entry strategies, such as market penetration, market development, product development, or diversification, based on market analysis findings.

• Performance Optimization: The ability to optimize website performance, including minimizing load times, optimizing images, and leveraging caching techniques to ensure fast and efficient website loading.
• Theme Customization: Proficiency in customizing WordPress themes, including modifying layouts, styles, and functionality to create unique and tailored website designs.
• Responsive Design: Proficiency in designing responsive websites that adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes and devices, ensuring a consistent and user-friendly experience for both desktop and mobile users.
• Content Management: Skill in managing and organizing content effectively within WordPress, including creating and structuring pages, posts, and multimedia elements to enhance user navigation and engagement.
• Graphics Optimization: Expertise in optimizing graphics and media elements for the web, balancing visual quality with file size to maintain fast website loading times and an engaging user experience.

• Content Marketing Distribution: Knowledge of content marketing strategies, including the effective distribution of content through various digital channels such as social media, content syndication, and influencer partnerships.
• Data Analytics and Interpretation: The ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data from various digital marketing tools (e.g., Google Analytics, social media analytics) to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve marketing strategies.
• Consistency Management: Skill in maintaining brand consistency across all touchpoints, including digital and print materials, advertisements, and social media, to ensure a unified and recognizable brand image.

• Visual Storyboarding: Proficiency in creating visual storyboards that outline the narrative flow and sequence of graphics, ensuring a cohesive and compelling storytelling experience.
• Data Visualization: Skill in translating complex data into visually engaging and easy-to-understand graphics, such as infographics, charts, and diagrams, to convey information effectively.
• Illustration and Graphic Design: Knowledge of graphic design principles and illustration techniques to create custom graphics that align with the narrative and evoke emotions in the audience.
• Interactive Graphic Creation: Proficient in designing interactive graphics or visual storytelling elements, such as interactive maps, timelines, or infographics, to engage users and enhance the storytelling experience.

• Content Strategy Planning: The ability to develop a comprehensive content strategy that aligns with the brand’s goals and target audience, outlining the type of content, themes, and messaging to be used.
• Visual Content Creation: Proficiency in creating visually appealing and engaging content for social media platforms, including graphics, images, videos, and other multimedia elements.
• Copywriting and Caption Writing: Skill in crafting compelling and concise copy or captions that accompany social media posts, effectively conveying the message and encouraging audience engagement.
• Hashtag Strategy: Expertise in researching and implementing effective hashtag strategies to increase content discoverability and reach a wider audience.
• Trend Analysis and Content Trends: Knowledge of social media trends, tools, and analytics to identify trending topics and capitalize on relevant content trends to boost engagement and relevance.

• Keyword Research and Analysis: Proficiency in conducting comprehensive keyword research to identify relevant search terms, assess competition, and target high-impact keywords for SEO and SEM campaigns.
• Link Building Strategies: Skill in developing effective link-building strategies to improve website authority and search engine rankings, including guest posting, outreach, and creating high-quality backlinks.
• Local SEO: Knowledge of local SEO techniques and tools, including Google My Business optimization, local citations, and local keyword targeting, to enhance visibility for businesses targeting specific geographic areas.
• Organic SEO Expertise: Demonstrated proficiency in optimizing web content for organic search visibility, including on-page optimization, keyword research, content strategy, and technical SEO enhancements. Consistently achieved top search engine rankings, resulting in a significant increase in organic traffic and improved online visibility