Operating model, editorial standards and governance

- Developed editorial standards, workflows, approval processes, brand voice guidance and the team’s AI-use playbook

As the team grew, I had to build the structure around it.

I created the intake process, editorial workflows, approval paths, review standards and QA. I also developed tone-of-voice and editorial guidance for Web.com, Network Solutions and Register.com.

AI-use playbook and workflows

I also wrote our content team’s AI-use guidelines. I wanted us using AI where it genuinely made the work faster, without handing over the writing or editorial judgment.

Today the team uses tools like AirOps, Claude, ChatGPT and Kling for research, outlining, optimization, transcription, editing and repurposing. The final work is still written, reviewed and approved by people.

My strategic planning experience

I offer 10+ years of experience crafting Marketing, Branding and Communications strategic plans, [roadmaps](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9dce5_a7d46c1de11a43e6ae27b8211ce5e321~mv2.jpg), and detailed project schedules for massive initiatives in a variety of industries with very different consumers, buying cycles, products, brand strength and budgets. As head of marketing in my last several roles, my portfolio is filled with examples of annual, quarterly, and initiative-specific plans I developed. I was the creator and fulfiller of these strategies; my involvement was end-to-end, from the very first step of developing the vision, to creating project plans and goals, and up through asset creation, rallying cross-functional teams, execution, measurement, optimization and reporting.

Strategy disciplines

I have deep experience creating a wide variety of strategies, such as: Go-to-Market strategies for brands and products, [customer acquisition strategies](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9dce5_819aaa13145149b6b00e5974ca0b1342~mv2.jpg), [trade show event strategies](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KZtKaU6grfC3ZSbmWQ1Qan-Xkudby2epuBbPrvWtyY8/edit#slide=id.p1), [strategic messaging maps](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KUsdYikGhNWAeHZg7LOMHvD_dyzsKEFJQjsT-KTihHI/edit#gid=174351593), [communication plans](https://www.nicolecassis.com/internal-external-coms), [multi-platform digital campaigns](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zbksgoNcg_7cHSWw04zn5GyKEfQAad29/edit#slide=id.p1), [annual event strategy](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lDW5U5a6JGN87Fcya2z3S6SHlU1tR9UrcGUTsd4rEIA/edit#gid=0), etc.

Strategic planning, budget and delegation samples

- [2019 Strategic Marketing Plan](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TP3lsRfyXnrINK7_ZXgGqttHTMhb-l36/edit#slide=id.p1)

- [2019 Marketing Budget](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16VxbbQUNrj8e8aBQQVBRBAutk9IgV2Ss/edit#gid=697667391)

- [Framework of the strategy for Network Adoption Plan](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BfEOeBb1lP9RB8lkwHh7SWZbUh649iFSkj3YqQCfr6Q/edit) (Sample of how I tee up a project for a direct report. I drafted this plan and then handed it off for activation. Here is the [deck](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oDXepkDHfEzQQt4zNNXcqw79F5p1HMvS/edit#slide=id.p1) my team member presented to president and stakeholders)

- [High-level slide to describe Enterprise marketing strategy to new CMO](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QFLuSxAbZJnkGSoN1EO5i-bJz_1CVZJK/edit#slide=id.p1)

Operations Review

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My methodology

Since my best thinking occurs when I'm holding a writing utensil in my hand, I begin all my strategic planning on paper (or a whiteboard). When I need to develop a strategy, forumate a project plan or craft a communication plan, you'll find me locked away alone in a conference room with a whiteboard, post-it notes, sharpies, and plenty of paper. My process for developing a strategy integrates target audience research, recent marketing trends, and ideas discussed in team meetings, round-robin discussions, brainstorms and more.

- Tools -- Over my career I have used a broad suite of project management tools, including: Basecamp, SmartSheet, Monday.com, Trello, and JIRA.

- Exercises -- Customer segmentation, customer journey mapping, [competitive matrix](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KUsdYikGhNWAeHZg7LOMHvD_dyzsKEFJQjsT-KTihHI/edit#gid=769710640), competitive analysis, SWOT analysis, [business cases](https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/f9dce5_09b3bee1b99645c08efc2fa585313060.pdf), [digital footprint](https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/f9dce5_526167ce46ee4bf7a1dfccd6990388f1.pptx), creative brief, etc.

- Primary research -- A mix of qualitative and quantitative that has included: surveys; focus groups; interviews; experiments (A/B testing); observation (mystery shopper, usability tests); client/customer insights through client advisory boards; internal insights through employee surveys and cross-functional team projects

- Secondary research -- Seeking existing data and research from a variety of sources: Industry-specific blogs and trade publications; census data; social media trends and posts.

- Continuous Improvement -- The feedback loop is very important for optimizing marketing strategies and tactics. I rely on surveys to find areas of opportunity. For example, at Arizona State University I initiated email surveys of attendees of our public lectures right from the first lecture, so that every speaker knew how to improve for next time; I also conducted surveys after our 2018 Customer Insights Summit.

- Individual Strategic Objectives -- As part of our annual planning process at Florida Coastal School of Law and Web.com, each member of the management team creates his/her own set of Individual Strategic Objectives (ISOs). These are measurable strategic, tactical and operational objectives that contribute to the accomplishment of the organization's mission, and they usually have this structure: Action (Initiative) + Detail + Metric (Goal) + Deadline

- Measurement -- At Florida Coastal School of Law I learned the fine art of goal setting and at Web.com I refined this skill, becoming highly attuned to the value of measurements and metrics. It is those key marketing metrics that are used as the foundation for all decision making, as they drive performance, strategy and organization direction. Reporting, tracking, and analyzing campaigns quickly became an integral part of my role as a way of proving success in strategies and return on investment. The metrics I track depend on the goal, but here are some of the most common:

- Consumption Metrics (page views, time on page, click-through-rate, etc.)

- Social Metrics (shares, retweets, etc.)

- Lead Generation Metrics (inquiry forms, conversion rate, new leads, etc.)

- Pipeline Metrics (conversion rate at each stage, overall CVR, pipeline velocity)

- Other + ROI (LTV to CAC, ROAS, cost per lead, ARPU, LTV)

My five-step strategy when joining a new brand

1. Problem Identification

Goal: Pinpoint primary business pain. (High churn? ARPU dropping? Lackluster new sales?)

Method: Discussion with business leader and/or executive team.

2. Brand Audit

Goal: Uncover the reason for the brand’s existence. In the words of author Simon Sinek, “Start with why.” Explore the brand story, review the current go-to-market [strategy](https://www.nicolecassis.com/strategy), including existing assets (what’s in market now) and customer acq strategy, plus probe what’s working, what’s not and what’s missing?

Method: Discussions, focus groups and surveys with internal team members and current clients; leverage mystery shoppers; examine existing strategy, assets and campaigns for each channel; shadow customer service and sales team members.

3. Data-focused Investigation

Goal: Analyze product suite, customer data, pipeline data, competitors and popular market trends to determine gaps.

Method: Secure access to reporting databases, conduct competitive analysis, explore churn reports and NPS survey results, read recent executive reports, etc.

4. Roadmap Development

Goal: Outline the high-level projects to solve the business problem.

Method: Whiteboard or sketch with pens and paper the buckets of activity, stack rank activity based on impact/estimated ROI, and then plot on timeline.

5. Launch

Goal: Start activity, campaign, etc.

Method: Just do it!

Research-informed marketing

- Leveraged research, audience insights, and competitive insights to design sound [strategy](https://www.nicolecassis.com/strategy). Employed a comprehensive understanding of psychology, marketing practices and advertising essentials to develop campaigns and catalyze customer growth (sales).

Canada: market viability and program development

- Florida Coastal School of Law - I served on a small team tasked with determining the viability of recruiting Canadian students with lower LSAT scores wishing to go to law school. I conducted extensive research regarding the law school market in Canada to forecast potential profitability. I led the development of an internal infrastructure to develop program (finance – exchange rates, tuition; registrar – visas; MarCom – website, collateral; admissions–recruitment events)

Communications planning template

- [Template that I developed to guide communication](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14lusUMs-ibpPxyc8THpCfFIIXnDGjkhC7AUXLC-hpbY/edit#gid=1701344974)

Monthly operations review with the CEO

Each month our business unit walks through a comprehensive [deck](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oDXepkDHfEzQQt4zNNXcqw79F5p1HMvS/edit#slide=id.p1) on the health of our business. This is what I provided for our May 2019 Ops Review deck.

Education and marketing certification

I hold a [M.S. in Technology](https://www.nicolecassis.com/resume) (Graphic Information Technology), and I completed my thesis on social media as a marketing tool in higher education.

- Marketing Certification -- In January 2017, I earned my Marketing Consultant Certification from eMarketing Association.

Marketing strategy capabilities

Marketing Strategy

Market Research and Analysis, Customer Segmentation & Personas, Features/Benefits  and Value Messaging, Customer Onboarding, Sales Enablement, Go To Market Strategy

Management, leadership and project management

Management Skills & Leadership

Budgets, Forecasting, Vendor Management, Performance Evaluations, Cost/Benefit Analysis

Project Management, Efficiency & Organization

Trello, Slack, Hipchat, Basecamp, Smartsheet

### [2018 Customer Insights Summit](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9dce5_3d5b7a2571614a10b22ba21b08478694~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_179,h_119,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/f9dce5_3d5b7a2571614a10b22ba21b08478694~mv2.jpg)

Event program
[Customer Insights Summit (CIS) Homepage](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9dce5_87aed9b4225b4d3a9de267620ebf590a~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_179,h_110,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/f9dce5_87aed9b4225b4d3a9de267620ebf590a~mv2.png)

I put together a two-day event at a Florida resort for our top ~50 clients and prospects that included outside speakers from Google, the CEO of Moz, and a university professor.