ROLES
Project Initiator
Writer
Strategist
Blog Editor
Website Builder and Manager
Social Media Manager
CONTRIBUTION
Website Design, Build, and Maintenance
Social Media Strategy and Execution
Content Strategy and Execution
Copywriting for Website, Social, and Blog
WordPress Customization
Videos
RESULTS
This self-initiated project helped enable the sale of BrightHouse to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
BrightHouse
IT’S MY JOB TO THINK OF IDEAS FOR CLIENTS, BUT…
…the companies I work for need ideas too. BrightHouse pioneered the concept of a “purpose consultancy” when it opened in 1995. By the time I arrived in 2013, it had inspired plenty of competitors. Unfortunately for us, these competitors had done a much better job of establishing themselves as thought leaders online. It bugged me that other agencies and consultancies were dominating conversations that we, as the creators of our category, should be owning.
I initiated and led a project to get our house in order. I built BrightHouse a new website, worked with strategists to put content and social media strategies in place, and began a new blog for the company. Then I managed the website, the blog, and the social media channels for a year, in addition to my client work as a writer. This project played a key role in attracting one of the world’s most prestigious management consulting firms as a buyer for the company. Of course, I had no idea all this would unfold back when I said, “We don’t get business from our online channels now. But how about if we try?”
PROPOSAL
I laid out a plan. Everything from the website to active social media channels centered around a new blog. But at this point in my career, putting a content plan in place was a first for me, and I didn’t know what might trip me up as the project went on. So I scoured the Internet for articles. Over lunches and coffees, I got advice from people who ran their agency’s blog. Then Cathy Carlisi, BrightHouse’s CCO and the project’s biggest supporter, brought in content strategists to help. With Margaret McNabb and Molly Leutz on board, the project really took off.
BLOG
We wrote themes, narrative arcs, and journey maps. We worked with our in-house strategists to come up with questions clients and prospective clients had, and then brainstormed how to make useful, engaging pieces to answer them. If the planning sounds intense, it was. There’s a line between talking about our methods and insights versus churning out self-promoting, irrelevant pieces. I wanted to keep the chalk dust off our feet.
During my time as the blog’s editor, my colleagues and I filled it with articles and videos on purpose-driven culture, direction, and impact. When people found them useful and shared them even months after they were published, or when strategists told me they’d just sent a blog article to answer a client’s question, I knew we were doing something right.
Margaret McNabb
Director of Growth
Smashing Boxes
“I had the opportunity to work with Katelyn while consulting for BrightHouse. Over the course of our collaboration, Katelyn truly inspired me with her passion and dedication. Katelyn has a voracious appetite for learning and makes a regular habit of tackling new challenges. She is bright, driven, and has incredibly high standards. Katelyn gets things done. And done well. I’m very proud of the work we did together.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
Handling social media for a company is a full-time job, but it was only a fraction of mine. From making influencer lists to writing #TalkPurpose — an evergreen hashtag for the CEO’s speeches and events — we found ways to build and engage with our audiences efficiently.
We also created BrightHouse’s first video teaching module as part of a real-time social media challenge. I made this video at my house, on the shooting table I built, which is described in the in blacksmithing project.
WEBSITE
BrightHouse’s bread and butter is helping companies infuse meaning into their actions and communications, so our online home should serve as a model of how it’s done. I scrapped the old site and started fresh in WordPress, which gave me a chance to build everything with this intention and also to be able to make updates quickly.
When I made the Careers page, I spent a few minutes writing job descriptions, figuring it would make a future colleague’s interaction with the company more engaging that just a PDF of bullet points and legal jargon. And sure enough, people noticed when we lived our own message.
THE COMPANY’S BIG PAYOFF
When we began this project, I predicted it would bring in new talent and clients. Little did I know, it would also attract a buyer. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm, was looking for a creative consultancy to acquire. Cathy, who was deeply involved with the negotiations, said BrightHouse could not have competed with the other consultancies on BCG’s shortlist without a digital presence that showcased our culture and thinking. I ran the online efforts until the new leadership settled in. For my part, an incredible end to this side project, and one that made a lasting impact on the company.
CREDITS
President, Chief Creative Officer: Cathy Carlisi
Content Strategists: Margaret McNab, Molly Leutz
Photographer: Carly Cindrich