Digital - kate sitarz

Miami Herbert Business School | LinkedIn Ads

by Kate Sitarz

Client: As part of ongoing work with OHO Interactive, I was put on The University of Miami account to work on copy and copy strategy for Miami Herbert Business School, one of the leading business schools in the US.

Challenge: Work closely with the team’s strategist and digital marketing wizzes to create new landing pages for all ads, as well as new Google responsive search and display ads, Facebook single image and responsive ads, and LinkedIn sponsored InMail, single image, and conversation ads, among other ad placements. The goal was to increase leads and, ultimately, applications for the school.

Solution: I tackled the content strategy and copy for the landing pages as well as the copy for ads, working closely with the team’s PPC expert to ensure copy was aligned with keywords, as well as built upon insights from previous top-performing ads. We educated the client on the importance of landing pages aligning with search ads, all while integrating new brand voice and positioning created a year prior by a different external agency. I worked to build specific program concepts that tied to the overall school’s positioning while calling out more specific programmatic differentiators to stand out in this highly competitive space.

For the LinkedIn Ads in particular, we wanted to make sure the text was clear and compelling on its own to encourage users to read the rest of the text. The timeline (7 months) often helps boost engagement on other channels, so I decided to bring that into the LinkedIn ad, too. I used actionable language throughout to encourage users to feel like this is something they can and should do.

Results: The fast-track MBA ad was the #3 performing ad in education across all LinkedIn sponsored content for the first week in March 2021.

The real estate MBA ad was the #9 performing ad in education across all LinkedIn sponsored content for both the week of March 21 and April 4, 2021.

Plus, 1/4 of matriculated students in the January 2021 cohorts of both the schools Professional MBA and Health Executive MBA programs were directly attributed to OHO campaigns (and these did not include assisted conversions).

Landing page

I also worked with the OHO team to write copy for more than a dozen landing pages for various MBA and specialized Master’s programs. The ad above drove to this landing page.

Microsoft

by Kate Sitarz

Working at Wunderman/Y&R (we underwent a lot of name changes) in Seattle from 2013 through 2015, I got to work on a few different campaigns and projects for Microsoft. I left the offices due to a move, but was brought back as a freelancer for a couple of projects.

Internet of Things campaign

Microsoft Dynamics videos

Microsoft for Work

Challenge: Part of a team of writers and one designer on the Microsoft for Work (now Microsoft for Business) team tasked with making weekly strategic content recommendations about the evolution of technology in the workplace and how SMBs can get the most of their tech investments.

Results: Grew the Microsoft for Work audience by more than 200% (153K+ Twitter & 177K+ Facebook followers, last time I checked). On a good day, an article would receive nearly 30,000 unique visitors, making it (at the time) the most engaged-with platform of all Microsoft B2B channels.

Since then, Microsoft has shuffled around content, but here are a few samples of articles I wrote (please send me a message for the full articles):

Why 3D Printing is Disrupting Manufacturing

Turning Raw Patient Data Into Life-Saving Insights

Bashing Through Silos: CMO/CIO Partnerships Deliver Business Results

3 Retail Innovations Driven by Surprising Customer Expectations

3 Steps to Identifying the Right Cloud (You know how I mentioned content being shuffled around? I found this piece in an interesting place.)

Smarter Travel Media | B2B

by Kate Sitarz

Working for several brands under the Tripadvisor/Smarter Travel Media umbrella, I also have the chance to work on Smarter Travel Media projects, including webpage copy overhauls, sales sheets, and whitepapers. These B2B projects are a departure from consumer travel-focused work, but are also fun to tackle. Often, it requires translating internal jargon into understandable content.

This whitepaper was created for, and sent to, Smater Travel Media advertisers prior to the new Better Ads Standards.

MasterCard Priceless Cities

by Kate Sitarz

In late 2017, I began writing copy for Mastercard Priceless Cities. Most are limited-time experiences exclusively available to book by Mastercard Cardholders. Others are discounts and freebies that cardholders can claim simply for having a Mastercard. Most projects come with minimal guidance, making it a challenge to convey how these experiences will make you feel (and why they’re worth the cost!).

Casa Cruz, Buenos Aires

Professional Photographer, Paris

LOUIS Hotel discount, Munich

Topia | B2B

by Kate Sitarz

Working with the creative team at SmartBug Media, I worked closely with the UX designer to write copy for the newly redesigned Topia website. Topia, formally MOVE Guides, had recently undergone rebranding. This provided an additional challenge to try and nail the voice with still in-flux guidelines. However, the result is a much clearer, streamlined website.

Homepage

Why Topia

Zipcar | B2B

by Kate Sitarz

Zipcar B2B campaigns and projects are interesting given they are targeting organizations, including small startups, larger corporations, and universities.

Lead generation landing page
Zipcar for Universities

Brochures & Postcards
Local Motion / Fleet Manager’s Guide

Fast Fleet / Postcard leave behind

Partnership Sales Sheets

Emails
Reengagement /

Make a 2nd reservation /

Zipcar for Universities

New Benefit Notification

Refer a coworker program /

Social

Zipcar | Summer Holiday Campaign

by Kate Sitarz

From summer 2014’s Best Summer Ever to 2015’s Summer Holiday, I’ve gotten to work on several summer campaigns for Zipcar over the years, developing concepts that span print, digital, and out of home.

Postcard

Posters

Landing page

Banner Ads

Emails (excuse the watermarked version)

T-Shirt

TripAdvisor companies

by Kate Sitarz

Since I started working at Smarter Travel in 2009, I’ve worked on several brands under the TripAdvisor umbrella, including working on the launch of two brand-new products/websites. When I moved out of the Boston area, I continued to freelance for them.

Smarter Travel Media, sales sheet

Oyster, banner ads on TripAdvisor

Jetsetter, interstitial page

Airfarewatchdog, banner ads

Smarter Travel Media, whitepaper

Tingo, How it Works page

SniqueAway (acquired by Jetsetter)

Babson College

by Kate Sitarz

Higher ed is a beast. Between the different audiences (undergraduate, graduate, executive education) and wrangling faculty to get onboard with your idea (versus turning everything into a 50-page report), there’s always a lot going on. That’s why since I left in 2013 (blame the husband), I’ve continued to work on tons o’ projects with the marketing team.

AIRPORT ADS
Challenge: The ad agency the College worked with on media buys delivered a campaign for airport ads that tied into the current “redefine entrepreneurship” campaign branding. But the Babson team wasn’t loving the copy, so they brought me in to come up with some options.

Solution: The first thing I noticed was the lines didn’t tie to the location: an airport. Seeing this as an opportunity to have some fun with entrepreneurship definitions that play off airport and travel lingo, I came up with 3 out of the 4 lines that were ultimately used in the campaign. The below ads were placed at BOS, SFO, MIA, and SJC and tied into the larger, ongoing campaign of redefining entrepreneurship.

Results: Increased brand awareness, particularly in Miami and San Francisco, where the college had recently expanded with new campuses.

#LoveBabson NOTEBOOK
Challenge: Create a brochure to hand out at an Accepted Student Day for undergraduate students.

Solution: Another. Brochure. Really?! With students receiving so much literature about colleges, I recommended we turn it into something more useful: a notebook. End result: we held an Instagram contest for current students to show why they love the school and used the top photos in the notebook. It’s a far more fun way to get teenagers information than via stuffy academic speak.

NEWSPAPER AD
Challenge: The Falcons won the AFC championship. Arthur Blank, the team’s owner, is a Babson alum so there was major opportunity to show support. Of course, to keep it relevant, we needed to turn it around within the hour.

Solution: Keep the congratulations simple and straightforward while expanding the reach of the school and its mission to redefine entrepreneurship. This piece ran in Atlanta-area newspapers (full-page spread) following the win.

VIDEO
Challenge: Create a script for Babson Executive Education’s new Interactive Case Study offering.
Solution: The script speaks directly to the audience, business leaders, and explains what the case studies are and how they’ll benefit them and their organizations: turn challenges into creative action. It also includes key language like action-based learning and bridge gap between theory and practice.

WEBPAGES
Challenge: Create a page that clearly explains the concept of Entrepreneurial Thought and Action, Babson’s methodology for teaching entrepreneurship.

Solution: Listening and reading various materials where Babson leaders speak about ET&A, I organized all that information into a more linear, streamlined explanation. Subheads help skimming readers understand the key components of ET&A, while the copy underneath expands on the concept so readers know exactly what this methodology is and why it’s so important.

Challenge: Pretended you’re the school’s beloved Beaver mascot.

Solution: Step one: Research fun beaver facts. Step two: Come up with the voice of Biz E Beaver. Step 3: Have a ton of fun writing as a beaver.

CONTENT

After leaving Babson in late 2013, I’ve continued to work as a freelancer for overflow copywriting projects. Lately, I’ve focused on creating content for the school’s Entrepreneurship of All Kinds site on a variety of topics related to entrepreneurship. Articles include research and interviews (all conducted by me), writing in a clear, professional tone.

5 Rules for Success in the Gig Economy

Zipcar

by Kate Sitarz

Since 2012, I’ve worked with Zipcar on 100s of campaigns and projects, including partnerships with AARP, Spotify, and more. Work has encompassed basically everything: online ads, radio ads, sourcing voice talent for said ads, emails, landing pages, postcards, posters, social media, out-of-home, car wraps, T-shirts … name it. Here are just a few examples.

Integrated Campaigns

2015 Summer Holiday

Chipotle Promo

B2B

Email Campaigns
First Reservation Email Series (pdf)

Second Reservation Series (pdf)

Landing Pages
Mobile app

Affiliate Program

Brochures
B2B piece for Local Motion arm of Zipcar

Napkin Holder
This campaign to encourage United States Air Force Academy students, faculty, staff, and families to join Zipcar also included headlines that I’m more fond of because they’re more tailored to the audience (if you’re in the military, you get it), but I’m not sure the AAFES, aka post exchange, folks approved:

Wheels for having mandatory fun
Wheels for when you don’t want to drive with a helmet on
Wheels for serious commissary runs
Wheels for getting off base (and into the mountains)
Wheels for when you can’t dispatch a Humvee to get takeout
Wheels for when the DFAC just isn’t cutting it
Wheels for turning a DONSA into a DOESA
(day of epically spontaneous activities)