nick colman-portfolio2016
TRANSCRIPT
Introducing…
Thank you for taking the time to leaf through my portfolio. One of the things that I love about my job is the opportunity to say at the end of a project, “I made that” and “that was me”. You’ll see a lot of that same pride running throughout this document. It will generally be highlighted with red boxes – you can’t miss it.
Naturally I’m also pretty proud of this portfolio as a whole. However, I know it isn’t perfect. So, please feel free to provide me with feedback.
Thanks again,Nick.
Responsibilities:
• Manage a team of four (three content editors and an outreach exec)• Create, edit & optimise content for all areas of customer facing
websites including:• Short copy to enhance user experience• Long form editorial• Infographics• Video content• Point of sale copy• Marketing emails• Social media• Display marketing/remarketing banners
• Commission and manage content projects with external agencies• Oversee all online copy for tone of voice and customer focus• To build & implement ongoing content/social media strategies &
campaigns
Highlights:• 44% increase in traffic year on year (2013 vs 2014)• 8% increase in time spent on page year on year (2013 vs 2014)• Improved user experience by reducing route to product pages
from 4.6 clicks to 1.8• Long form editorial and blogger outreach lead to the best off-
season conversion rate for seasonal products• Sole author of insurance4carhaire.com (I4CH) – arguably
Towergate’s most successful online product• Author of copy for programmatic display remarketing banners
– a key driver of brand awareness and leads for I4CH• Author/Editor of Towergate.com – our corporate site requiring
copy written for a different, B2B audience• Sole writer of script for Towergate’s first ever video ad
“Norman and Hercule” featuring the voice of Phil Spencer
Towergateinsurance.co.uk – Home page redesign – short copy for search functionality.
New home page has resulted in a 2.35% reduction in the number of pages visited per session indicating a more direct customer experience.
Caravan eateries long form editorial – including interviews with five street traders who use caravans or campers to distribute street food.
This is the third most read page under the /caravan-insurance route and has received quality inbound links via outreach activities.
Super yacht infographic – This content was produced by our SEO agency. I oversaw the project including; vetting the research, proof reading the final graphic and feeding back on the design.
This is a great example of shareable, “sticky” content which has been picked up and linked to by relevant, high domain authority sites (e.g. The Daily Mail and Forbes) and shared on Twitter by the likes of @SuperyachtUk who have over 2,400 followers.
Towergateinsurance.co.uk – Articles
Additional article-style copy provides essential SEO value and helpful/interesting information for our customers. This article acts as a buyers guide for one of our core products. It helps visitors make informed purchase decisions and contains valuable long tail search terms.
Towergateinsurance.co.uk – product videos
To support our buyer’s guides, my team and I have produced a series of short videos explaining key aspects of our policies and some helpful information on reducing their risk. This involves researching the products, writing scripts and directing the videos on the day of shooting. They are in a simple ‘talking head’ format and provide excellent rich content to compliment our long form and infographic content.
The example above has a high average time on page (2 minutes 34 seconds) and a low exit rate (23%) indicating users are watching the video through to the end and going on to view other areas of the site based in its merit.
Towergateinsurance.co.uk – product pages
As well as a bit of visual eye candy, the content on this page was given a new lease of life. It was written to be more conversational, communicate a friendlier, more knowledgeable proposition and guide users towards the buying process. It was a success – visit to lead has increased around 42% vs the old pages.
Towergateinsurance.co.uk – brand video
Norman and Hercule were created to reflect Towergate’s brand values of “reassuringly knowledgeable” and “fanatically supportive”. The video will be used on Youtube’s True View platform to educate users about Towergate’s specialist property products. This is a new venture for Towergate and I’m proud to say I wrote the script and Phil Spencer (of Location, location fame) delivered it.
Towergateinsurance.co.uk – Social mediaWhen I first arrived at Towergate social media was a low priority. Three years on and our social media channels are regarded as essential conduits for content distribution and one of the key traffic drivers to the main site via regular and paid for posts. I’ve been responsible for four facebook pages, two Twitter feeds, a YouTube channel, G+ and more. I’ve helped grow a healthy following for by producing and distributing timely, relevant & engaging content.
Towergateinsurance.co.uk – Social media (cont.)
I’m very proud to say that our twitter following has grown entirely organically. These tweets comprise of a combination of relevant articles published by others as well as tweeting our own original editorial. Towergate are also very active with a range of charities which also tends to provide popular social media content. I have also tweeted live from events such as the London and Southampton Boat Shows and our very own “Towergate Care awards” hosted by Sally Philips.
I recently worked with James Caan who answered questions on Twitter for our business customers. It was a challenging brief - he was answering questions on a niche topic but the resulting content received some great inbound links.
Insurance4carhire.com – Sole author of all content on insurance4carhire.com. New site bought a 65% uplift in new business year on year.
Dynamic display banners – I worked alongside our PPC team to create dynamic display banners aimed at new prospects and remarketing prospects. We also split our target audences into older customers, those with families, car club users and intended holiday destination. The banners are now delivering in the region of 60 sales per day with an economical cost per acquisition.
The Autobahn Adventure – Content produced for our sister brand Insurance4carhire. This type of content builds quality inbound links to boost search rank and attracts engagement via social media and email.
Six nations on four wheels – This is a piece I made myself. While my photoshop skills need a bit of work, this content was well received on social media at the time of the Six Nations and was ideal, relevant content for insurance4carhire.
Are Landlords given a bad rep? - This piece was produced in tandem with our PR team. Original research was conducted to make it suitable for press and online distribution.
From Towergate with Love – Content researched and written by us, designed by our SEO/content agency. Brief was initially missed and I had to turn the content around in a short space of time for an email campaign. This content created a high click through rate from the email.
Daily Product Listings
Key responsibilities • Create new product listings across a range of home furnishing sites• Supply copy for email campaigns • Blog content• Edit images for display onsite
Highlights– Consistently met daily targets– Email campaigns achieved an open rate of between 20 and 35%– Average click through rate from email campaigns 19%– Blog content optimised for SEO and received over 200 hits daily
Responsibilities:• Write copy for a range of clients and a range of media…• …and that’s pretty much it.
Read on to find out how I answered briefs for clients such as:• Sony Ericsson (now Sony Mobile)• Polar• Bioeffect cosmetics
NB: As some of the copy is quite small, I’ve highlighted it in red boxes.
• The Brief• Launch Sony Ericsson’s latest flagship product with a bang• Promote the London launch event via social media and press
• The Solution• Create a launch event that is immersive and gaming themed to dramatise the gaming capabilities
of the phone• Build hype for the release of the handset via Facebook• Advertise launch event online and in press with the incentive of free entry during the day and the
opportunity to win VIP entry to the evening event (plus Sony prizes)
• Media• E-invite• Metro microsite• 10x7 Metro ad• Metro staff uniforms• Golden ticket
Mobile gaming is about to change forever. Xperia PLAY is coming. Sony Ericsson invites you to the all day launch at Xperia PLAYrooms. Transport yourself directly into an alternate reality and immerse yourself in your favourite gaming worlds. Patrol the warzone. Find your way through the forest. Unleash the special move.
Get your thumbs on an Xperia PLAY and game on!
Open to all from 11am – 31st MarchEnter the Xperia PLAYroom on New Oxford Street and step into an incredible parallel world of gaming. It’s your chance to get your thumbs on Xperia PLAY – the world’s first and only PlayStation certified smartphone. And don’t forget to look out for the golden ticket with your copy of Metro on the morning of the event. Scan it at the PLAYroom door to see if you’ve won. There are some amazing prizes up for grabs, including the big one, VIP tickets to the invite only evening launch party. VIP evening launch partyFor exclusive ticket holders only
Take your gaming experience to the next level. Click here to double your chance of winning VIP tickets to the evening launch party. With an exclusive set from Tinchy Stryder, you’ll get the chance to mix with celebrities and game on late into the night, in the reality bending Xperia PLAYrooms.
The launch event of the year. To celebrate the release of the first ever PlayStation® certified smartphone we’re having and all day event and we'd like you to be there. Pick up a copy of Metro on 31st March 2011 and grab a Golden Ticket and you can get in on the action. Until then, visit www.metro.co.uk/gameon for your chance to win tickets to the VIP evening event or exclusive Sony prizes.
• The Brief • Promote the launch of Xperia PLAY and the Dublin launch event• Create awareness and drive people to the launch event at Carphone Warehouse
(CPW) and promote “smartphone amnesty” incentive• Communicate that CPW is the sole distributer of Xperia PLAY (for a limited time)
• The Solution• Create copy hyping up the launch event whilst using the smartphone amnesty idea
and the exclusivity idea to strengthen the message• Press ad and cover wrap featured in the morning Irish Metro in order to drive people
to the event
• Media• Full page press ad • Cover wrap
(Ireland)
Need to upgrade your smartphoneWant money off a new Xperia PLAY Get yourself down to the Xperia PLAY launch event. From 9pm – midnight our Grafton Street store will transform for a one-off night of gaming, music and exclusive prizes. And as part of our Smartphone Amnesty, hand in your old smartphone and we’ll give you up to €400 off an Xperia PLAY. For a limited time, The Carphone Warehouse is the only place you’ll find Xperia PLAY. Don’t miss out on the chance to get your thumbs on it first tonight.
Need the ultimate smartphoneWant serious gaming
• The Brief • Raise the profile of the partnership between Polar and Look cycles
and the resulting product innovation• Target pro-cyclists and communicate the four key benefits of the
innovation: Accuracy, independent pedal measurement, lightness and automatic calibration
• The Solution• An online banner that links through to the product page and expands
to provide more information on the product• Bite size chunks of information due to the short contact time• Clear ‘need to know’ information targeted at pro-cyclists
Polar Look Keo PowerWe coach. You live to ride. Introducing the Polar Keo Power, the most innovative, practical and effortlessly accurate power system in the world. Maximum accuracy for demands of the pro-cyclist, minimum effort to fit and swap from bike to bike.
+/- 2% Accuracy8 strain gauges per pedal provide unrivalled levels of precision.
Independent MeasurementHelps improve your technique by monitoring your left/right power output.
Super-light TechnologyAt just 150g more than the standard pedal, your performance is monitored, not hindered.
Auto CalibrationAccuracy from the first pedal stroke. Whatever the conditions.
• The Brief• Create an in-flight advertorial communicating a special offer for Bioeffect EGF
Serum• It was important to the client to communicate the science behind the product and
the unique way in which it is manufactured• Design the communication to address women with a large amount of disposable
income
• The Solution• Create copy that is both engaging and includes the relevant selling points of the
product such as it’s purity, and the eco-friendly way in which it is produced• Use a tone that simplifies the science behind the product without being
patronising• Communicate the science aspect without losing the key message that the product
makes skin look younger
Pure With only nine ingredients, BIOEFFECT EGF Serum is beautifully simple. Its’ hypoallergenic formula does not contain any preservatives or fragrances. Nor does it contain any non-essential chemicals what so ever. The cellular activator in the BIOEFFECT EGF Serum is produced in barley, using unique genetic technology. Every stem is grown with purity at heart. Volcanic pumice and Icelandic spring water are used to carefully cultivate our barley in a state of the art greenhouse, powered by renewable geothermal energy.EffectiveBIOEFFECT EGF Serum is where science meets beauty. Developed using the latest advances in molecular biology, BIOEFFECT EGF Serum stimulates cell renewal and helps your skin to replenish and reduce visible signs of aging skin. The results speak for themselves. In a user survey, 98% of women who tried the product noticed that their skin looked fresher and 98% would recommend BIOEFFECT EGF Serum to their friends.
BIOEFFECT EGF Serum rejuvenates your skin by boosting its natural ability to renew itself. It contains EGF cellular activator, a protein natural to human skin, which restores the speed at which new skin cells replace old ones. BIOEFFECT EGF Serum improves complexion and gives your skin a youthful glow.
Thanks for reading. You can contact me via any and all means listed below:
@nickrcolman
Email me
07714 528 897