Written by WOM member, Samantha Iodice
Starting a new position in a new field during a global pandemic may feel stressful and daunting for some, but Kisha Velazquez was prepared to face this new challenge head on, and blaze a new path for herself. As content marketing writer for Ignite Spot Outsourced Accounting, Kisha braved a new professional environment while launching a new facet of her career in the midst of COVID-19.
In her new role, Kisha’s day consisted of a variety of inbound marketing tasks, including crafting weekly emails, managing the blog calendar, directing her contractor writers and illustrators and corresponding with web development partners to create landing pages. She also planned partner webinars, created presentations, drafted social media posts, edited video content and wrote blog posts.
Hold My Coffee While I Change the World
Onboarding and transitioning into a new role wasn't just a whirlwind for Kisha, it was trial by fire. She went from, “Welcome aboard!” to “Help, we need to help our clients manage through this pandemic somehow!” As a new employee of Ignite Spot Outsourced Accounting, Kisha quickly proved her value and was promoted to digital marketing manager in just four short months of her start date. Leveraging her initiative, resourcefulness and knowledge, Kisha went from a new employee to acting as a one-person marketing team. Kisha identified the opportunity to grow and shine in an environment that allowed her to work directly with the CEO.
Finding New Opportunities During Chaotic Times By Leveraging A Mentor’s Insight
Prior to her current role, Kisha was an entrepreneur. As a former theater hat maker, she founded Junior Baby Hatter, an online accessories boutique for babies which specializes in designing hats for toddlers made from upcycled materials. While Junior Baby Hatter was fulfilling, Kisha is incredibly creative and always knew she had broader interests to pursue.
Always drawn to marketing and writing, in 2020, Kisha decided to transition her career into content writing. With the help of her mentor, Kisha refined her online resume and narrowed her job search within a certain facet of marketing. Kisha also worked with her mentor to edit her LinkedIn profile to better represent her interests and practice for job interviews. Her revised LinkedIn profile and resume caught the attention of Ignite Spot Outsourced Accounting and the former child’s accessories designer was hired as a content writer.
Strategic Partnerships & Content Marketing
In July 2020, Kisha developed a new webinar with partners from QuickBooks, Divvy and Bill.com. She pitched thoughtful topics to the event managers at partner companies, which were well received and led to sponsorships that made it possible for Ignite Spot to present on CPA Academy and GoToWebinar. Her marketing plan consisted of scheduled blog topics that drove traffic to the webinar and event promotion via LinkedIn and other social media channels. Within a three month period, Kisha increased webinar attendance by more than 400%. By four months, Kisha’s work influenced $13k in revenue and increased newly acquired contacts by 67%.
Tackling Challenges As A One-Woman Team
Kisha was hired when Ignite Spot Outsourced Accounting decided it wanted to expand its focus to include company marketing. As the first and only dedicated marketer on staff, Kisha’s biggest challenge has been helping senior management understand the amount of effort required for each request, timing and what can feasibly be completed by a certain deadline. Kisha found herself saying “yes” to everything – enthusiastically – and then realizing it was next to impossible to meet the expectations of leadership, who were often unaware of what it takes to do the task at hand.
Kisha realized this had to change. She began creating processes for efficiencies and departmental transparency that would help her manage and exceed expectations. She created checklists that were published and viewable by everyone in the company, which included everything from email campaigns to video content, blog articles and webinar planning. This process allowed Kisha’s management teams to see all the steps involved in creating the amazing marketing content and programs she’s been providing. Kisha also created an internal form for employees to submit content topic suggestions, detailing how their proposed content would relate to the company goals and measured timing expectations on start dates and the approval process.
Looking Ahead: Visuals & Video Will Dominate Content Marketing
Kisha believes that content has the power to create and nourish customer relationships. In 2021, and beyond, Kisha believes video content will continue to grow. Visuals, especially the video format, can help your content stand out in a crowded space. Kisha notes, “Your idea for a blog post has probably already been answered or written. [Your] presentation differentiates your content, not the message. That’s where your brand can make it fun and unique.”
“The visuals used in storytelling have become so important, if not more important than the message itself. Good content will always start with offering a solution and solid copy, but the visuals have to capture the attention of your target audience first,” explains Kisha.
Recommendations & Words of Wisdom
One of Kisha’s favorite resources is a site called MarketingHelp. The site provides templates for checklists, agendas and much more that she finds useful for meeting agendas with her CEO.
Her favorite podcast is the Action Drive Podcast by Talia Wolf. Kisha says about the podcast, “I listen to this podcast every morning before my marketing huddle with my CEO and sales team. In less than 20 minutes you get tactics to beef up your content strategy. I love that she speaks from experience of what has and has not worked for her own campaigns. Plus both Talia and her co-host have charming accents.” Her current read isEverybody Writes by MarketingProf’s Anne Hadley.
Kisha has words of wisdom that many women may already know but need to remember from time to time, “If you want to grow or be seen in your profession, then prepare to be uncomfortable. Embrace the feeling of slight panic when you agree to do something you’re not sure you can pull off. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Your comfort zone is where you become complacent and stop growing.”
Written by WOM member, Samantha Iodice
