ACCESSIBILITY
An important factor to consider in the field of communications, is the ability to communicate in an accessible format. As a Digital Media Co-ordinator at the Region of Durham, I've had the opportunity to take various accessibility courses and one-and-one training to ensure any documents posted externally are accessible for the visual and hearing impaired. I also assist in creating and editing weekly videos that are accessible for all audiences.
Through this, I am confident in my ability to use software to add captioning and translations to videos, as well as create and convert documents to meet accessible standards.
ADVERTISING AND ANALYTICS
As a Google Adwords and Google Analytics certified individual, and through my work as a Digital Media Co-ordinator at the Region of Durham, I have developed a strong knowledge of social media advertising and digital marketing.
In addition to advertising on digital platforms, I also outlined and created an external Advertising Opportunities document for Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade (APBOT) members and potential sponsors. This required market research, competitive and comparative analysis, as well as writing, editing and design.
Through this, I am confident in my ability to develop advertising materials, and prepare data into charts and graphs.
An important aspect of any brand is communication. Keeping your audience in the loop with information that is important and relatable to your niche, will not only boost your website's SEO, it will enhance your brand and build a loyal following on all media platforms. A great way to do this is through blogging.
Getting your organization noticed is one thing, but your brand is what makes people remember you—developing the who, what, where, when, why and how, and telling that story.
As a Digital Media Co-ordinator with the Region of Durham, I co-created Digital Media Branding Guidelines for the Region's social media platforms. This includes typography for graphics, how to format a social media post on various platforms, and what types of content is appropriate to share.
As a Policy and Communications Specialist with APBOT, I quickly recognized that one thing was missing: brand consistency. To create a consistent use of the organization's brand identifiers and messaging, I created the APBOT Brand Guidelines for both internal and external use. Not only did this utilize my creative marketing abilities, but also design skills.
The most important part of planning any communications activity is evaluating what works and what doesn’t. View the communications plan and audit I created as a Policy and Communications Specialist at the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.
DIGITAL, GRAPHIC AND WEB DESIGN
Creating is and always has been a passion of mine. My development and design abilities allow me to execute my ideas on a digital canvas, and I believe this is a strong asset in any communications-related position.
Canva has become one of my favourite platforms to use, however all of my earliest work was created using Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. View examples of social media graphics, posters and advertisements I've created.
DIGITAL MARKETING
I've had the opportunity to work on various digital marketing campaigns, and create and implement key communications materials on a variety of digital platforms—including social media posts, graphics, ad campaigns and analytics.
View various examples of my work with the Region of Durham, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade and the City of Pickering.
A great way to keep your community in-the-know is through e-newsletters and updates. Throughout my career, I've worked on numerous e-communications including a weekly internal e-newsletter to highlight employee success and engagement, a weekly e-newsletter focusing on economic development and networking in the communities of Ajax and Pickering, a bi-monthly e-newsletter for a popular niche market in Durham Region, and many more.
As a Public Relations & Digital Marketing Assistant at the City of Pickering, I had the pleasure of participating in the writing, editing and distribution of Mayor Dave Ryan's first-ever e-newsletter. This also included the design, layout and analytics.
Throughout my career, I've written and edited numerous media materials, including news releases, media advisories and public service announcements (PSAs).
The objective of this particular example was to co-ordinate a photo-opportunity at the Pickering Public Library (PPL) to unveil its new PPL Connect vehicle—a car allowing Library staff to bring internet, technology and other services into residents' homes. After organizing a date, time and list of attendees, I reached out to local news media regarding a photo-opportunity with the new vehicle. Mayor Dave Ryan, Library staff and community users gathered as media outlets, including Snap'd Pickering and Metroland Media's News Advertiser, took photos and generated positive media coverage.
Media relations is all about networking with mediums and pitching your stories or ideas. One important way to get your story noticed is by accumulating media contacts as a direct source to pitch to. Before pitching this particular story to the media, I reached out to two PPL Connect users—after meeting with them to unveil the program's car at the Pickering Public Library—and asked if they would be willing to share their experiences with the public. With their consent, I began researching relevant reporters who would be interested in this type of story.
Offering direct access to an exclusive story, including media content and interviews, I was able to secure positive news coverage in the Toronto Star. While not all stories make it to print, I was able to secure real estate on the front page of the GTA section in the Toronto Star newspaper.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is an absolute passion of mine. Whether I'm out for a Sunday stroll, or capturing the energy at an event, I always love to have my camera in hand.
An important part of capturing photographs and video footage is ensuring proper consent is received and recorded. As a Digital Media Co-ordinator with the Region of Durham, I'm responsible for taking photos at numerous events, ensuring consent is received and maintaining a consent image library for digital marketing purposes.
As a Policy and Communications Specialist with the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, a large part of my role during events was to capture photographs and start a conversation on our social media accounts.
On top of compelling content, the key to engaging your audience is a creative and aesthetically pleasing presentation. When providing training or an informative presentation, the audience can count on me to unveil an engaging presentation. One of the most recent presentations I created was a training session for the launch of Durham Tourism’s Instagram account.
I’ve also created numerous presentations throughout my education. One example includes a marketing pitch for a new Sally Hansen Shellac Remover product. This was created in a team setting as part of a fictional assignment. My role in the assignment was to act as the Marketing Manager.
Video is a fun and creative way to get your message across. As part of a larger social media strategy, I created a short promotional video to invite Pickering residents and visitors to share their moments in the City of Pickering using #PickeringProud. The overall goal was to capture a video that felt real, raw, unedited and in-the-moment.