Client Case Study
Managing content strategy for Bethel University
Before moving to freelance, I managed the content strategy for a liberal arts university. In that role, I created a unified strategy for print and web content, led the nitty-gritty of website administration, and still found time to scratch my creative itch.
Shared content strategy
When I started at Bethel, web and print teams were mostly disconnected. Staff throughout the university produced and maintained similar content in multiple places.
So I got to work setting a vision for shared content strategy and taking small steps towards big efficiencies. I had a lot of help, and it’s still a work in progress, but during my time we:
- Unified print and web content for Bethel’s major marketing efforts
- Began to feed program information from Bethel’s ERP to live webpages
- Adjusted how we organized assets in our CMS for more content reuse
Web governance
Bethel's website is home to thousands of webpages, numerous websites, and many web authors. To keep this large, complex system running and sustainable, I established:
- Flexible information architecture
- Web writing workshops for authors
- Publishing workflows, roles, and access levels
- Governance policies and best practices
- Consistent voice and tone
- Processes for community members to submit requests and report issues
Creative
Our team led the creative strategy for the website and all prospective student recruiting materials.
My role involved setting the overall editorial direction and enforcing brand standards (which meant lots of editing, communicating, and coaching). But I also managed to do some writing of my own and helped out with some fun video projects.
As part of this work, I wrote and edited print materials and brainstormed ways to reach new students.
Postcard encouraging accepted students to complete their enrollment.
Web
Beyond setting the strategy, I spent a lot of time writing and editing hundreds of webpages. During my time, we completed a full-scale website redesign and continued to find new ways to tell Bethel's story.
Bethel University homepage
Student Life homepage
Video scripts
When we decided video would be a great medium for a specific marketing need, I'd work with colleague Erik Gruber to create storyboards and write our scripts. This was mostly just for fun because I love generating creative ideas.