Copywriting
Elevenfold Media
Their Story
Award-winning, creative phenoms, this startup based in Toronto specialized in creating websites and marketing video campaigns for nonprofits and socially-minded businesses. They needed a tagline and copy for their website that not only communicated their identity as advocates for social justice, but also buzzed with originality.
The Tagline
Your Story. Well Told.
Sample of Web Copy
“Your goals depend on your ability to connect with your target audience. Your media campaign won’t survive on facts and flash alone. It must be human. It has to beat and breathe. Our stories, well told, are carefully designed to do just that. We will bring our knowledge of the craft and the newest of digital media technologies to bear on your story. Your audience won’t merely identify with you. They will rally for you and your success.”
The Fair Trade Show
Their Story
The founder of Toronto’s Fair Trade Show had spent years carefully crafting their reputation as a supporter of socially responsible small businesses with growth potential. However, the copy on the company’s website was too inwardly focused and formal; they needed fresh, new copy that looked outward and addressed the needs and desires of their target customers. After the launch of their new website, attendance at their annual trade show nearly doubled.
The Old Copy
“We believe our individual choices have a profound effect on those in other regions of the world, and by being conscious of the things we purchase, we can help raise the standard of living of those less fortunate. Only by making a conscious effort to ensure our goods are produced in a sustainable manner, can we work to create more beneficial trading relationships.”
The New Copy
“Why visit the show? Because you read labels. Because you believe business should be about more than just profit margins. Because you understand that every dollar you spend is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in.
The Fair Trade Show makes it easy for you to find social enterprises that want to change the way business is done. It is the only consumer show of its kind and scope in North America. We’ve worked hard to find products, services, and experiences that meet your ethical standards. We’ve vetted each and every exhibitor and brought them all together under one roof.”
B2C Copy: The Farm Food Collaborative
Their Story
North Alabama’s Farm Food Collaborative is a non-profit, small business incubator that seeks to connect small, family-owned farms with local food businesses in the Tennessee Valley region. In the pilot phase of the collaborative, I worked as a principal member of the marketing team on a campaign to introduce farmers to consumers via a series of point-of-sale posters and social media outreach. The business-to-consumer copy I wrote for these projects involved interviewing the farmers and highlighting the quality of their produce and their hard work, creating human portraits to foster consumer awareness and familiarity.
B2B Copy: The Farm Food Collaborative
Their Story
A second project of the Farm Food Collaborative’s pilot phase (see above) was a feasibility study and business plan to document the collaborative’s potential growth and profitability. Because the collaborative was well-positioned to take advantage of a regional niche and a growing demand for locally grown and produced foods, the goal of the study and the plan was to help secure additional funding for its incubation phase, and, eventually, private investment for the collaborative’s long-term independence and financial success. I worked as the study’s chief documentarian, drafting and compiling large sections of the final report, including its SWOT analysis.
Grant Writing: Summer Feeding Program
Early on in my freelancing career, I had the opportunity to write an application for a $25,000 Walmart grant to sponsor a summer feeding program hosted by The Food Bank of North Alabama. It was a winner—the first real test of the efficacy of my writing and my first taste of the excitement that comes with a successful petition or campaign, not to mention the well-being of the schoolchildren who benefitted from the grant. I got hooked on it.