stefanie who?
For as long as I can remember, I've loved to write. As a little girl, I passionately authored poems for family members and special occasions, along with dozens of magical stories that came to life in my head before they blossomed on paper. I strong-armed my little brother into drawing pictures to accompany my words. Working with crayons, pencils, and paint wasn't my strong suit, after all.
GOING PRO
My first professional writing stint was at a Houston-area newspaper. I loved the adrenaline rush that came with covering legal proceedings and law enforcement activities, the sense of belonging I felt when writing about community events and human interest stories, and the gravity and responsibility of delving into areas like politics and local government. I enjoyed the processes of interviewing, researching, networking and, of course, writing.
I didn't mind burning the candle on both ends, often rushing out in the middle of the night to grab a photo, quote, or soundbite. The pay was irrelevant.
And then I wanted more.
"CREATIVITY IS INTELLIGENCE HAVING FUN."
~ Albert Einstein
After doing my human best to stay impartial and deliver nothing but the facts to tens of thousands of newspaper readers every day for many years, I needed a creative outlet.
A career change into the content development realm filled this void perfectly. I had crazy fun writing advertisements, blogs, website copy, press releases, marketing materials...you name it. I learned how to work with digital images (no crayons required!), how to create videos, and how to tie it all together with powerful words to form a neat package of digital assets that managed to attract, engage, and persuade.
But I had questions.
THE OTHER SIDE
I've always had a natural instinct in striking the right tone for a specific audience, in ferreting out pain-points to be addressed, in researching relevant information, and switching voices between target segments with ease.
But content doesn't live in a vacuum.
Soon I was on a mission to know more about how my content is used, how it is implemented, how it is purposed.
The next logical step was to dive into the mysteries of Google -- namely, SEO and PPC. I decided I had a knack for the practical and analytical sides of content marketing and read everything I could get my hands on to learn the ins and outs of search engine optimization and search engine marketing.
I discovered that the analytical and creative sides of my brain play very nicely together.
ARRIVAL
Just kidding. There's no such thing.
Content marketing is a living, breathing marketing specialty that gives ultimate credence to the old wisdom that change is constant. Learning never ends, and just when you think you positively nailed the search engines' secrets for good, they maddeningly reinvent themselves just to teach you otherwise.
My biggest value to my clients lies in my expertise of creating content that speaks to their audience, combined with a constant upkeep with the times to ensure that the content I deliver achieves its maximum potential.
Powerful content. It's what I do.
