I’m in a love/hate relationship with Meta.
I love that it is the most cost-effective form of advertising, with the power to reach thousands of people, targeting them by their demographics, interests, and behaviours. I love the access to engaging and informative content and the heartwarming communities that are built across various groups and pages. However, I hate the lack of accessibility to customer support and the sneaky Advantage+ tactics that Meta Business tries to get advertisers to use for campaigns, which may actually be detrimental to your brand.

For almost 15 years, I’ve kept up-to-date with the latest trends and social media advancements, with this curiosity sparked during my Year 11 end-of-year break when I challenged myself to create a popular Tumblr blog. I quickly taught myself HTML and studied the algorithm, noticing that posting in bulk using the same hashtags and content would result in mass followers, testing different post times and content types. 44,000 followers later, I got bored of blogging for followers; however, since then, I have enjoyed listening to podcasts, subscribing to EDMs and reading all about the latest beta-tested features coming to Meta, or joining the latest social media platform and evaluating the potential as a marketer.

Using this knowledge, I have developed social media training courses and presented to hundreds of people on how to best utilise social media as a cost-effective marketing and community-building tool. A common gripe is when a client comes to me with a small marketing budget, adamant they need to book a billboard to advertise their business. I always tell them not to waste their limited resources, and my first action is to set them up with paid campaigns on Meta and show them the results of the thousands of people clicking on their ads over months, not the 2-3 weeks they would have been able to afford for that billboard.

This natural curiosity and ‘FOMO’ have led to me being successful in coordinating various brands’ social media channels, using insights from analytics to plan and create content that their audience will respond to, months in advance. That is not to say social media should ever be a ‘set and forget’ medium, as I have learned that true social media success comes from two-way engagement, which means daily sharing of stories, responding to comments, and reacting to others’ content.

Some of my advanced social media skills include:

Fun fact about me: I have the word “smile” tattooed on the inside of my right index finger and it’s perfectly positioned so that it is visible when pressing the shutter button on a camera and perfectly piques curious minds, making them look in the right direction when taking a photo or filming a video.

Not only do I enjoy taking photos and videos, but I have also directed hundreds of shoots, collaborating with other photographers and videographers to produce the perfect brand campaign photos or engaging social media videos. This begins with a detailed brief, storyboard, shot list, script, and shoot schedule to ensure all stakeholders agree on the vision of the creative. My attention to detail means I catch those annoying yet unavoidable variables on the day before the photo is even taken, which means final results are received in less time with fewer editing costs required – check out my shoot kit below.

Additionally, I have extensive photo and video editing experience using Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. My editing style is vibrant and warm with a preference for fast-paced video transitions to grab and keep your audience’s attention, however, I can cater this to your project’s needs. With most users watching videos without sound (and my husband being a hearing-aid user), I understand the importance of accessibility and inclusive media practices, so all videos produced include embedded captions as standard.

No, you don’t need to know graphic design to plan, coordinate and execute a successful marketing campaign. However, it has definitely helped me throughout my career, and I often encourage other marketers to learn some basics. Graphic designers charge anywhere from $95 to $195 per hour with additional costs for extra revisions, and no matter how many times or how many people review a document or advertisement before it goes live, a last-minute change can always be required. While handy tools like Canva are great for smaller-scale projects, there is no replacement for professional software such as Adobe InDesign or Illustrator, which ensures files can be printed at scale without compromising on quality, and it is fit for purpose with your branding.

Some of my favourite designs and illustrations have not been for commercial purposes either. I enjoy working with individuals to create personalised mementos that capture the personality of an event or provide a lasting souvenir to remember a special day.
In my spare time, I strengthen my skills by staying updated on industry trends and the latest tools available. On the weekend you will likely find me immersed in digital illustration, with some of my artworks purchased and printed on items such as tote bags, phone cases and cushion covers posted across the world.

If you’ve made it this far through my portfolio, perhaps my copywriting speaks for itself?
As you may have gathered, I enjoy creative and informative storytelling and believe communications that are more relatable and emotive will always be far more effective when it comes to marketing. My personal mission is to contribute to a more inclusive and connected community, prefering meaningful messages instead of misleading clickbait.
During my career, I have crafted communications and copy for various purposes – from internal news to raise awareness of company events, staff benefits, or build culture – to paid media where information is organically weaved into a heartwarming story, to best promote a service, product or business without the reader feeling “sold to”.
Want to discuss how strategic storytelling can become media releases pitched to big networks and reach your target demographics on a larger scale? Let’s chat!

Additionally, I have helped numerous individuals with resume/CV creation, utilising my copywriting skills to help market themselves to potential employers. I never embellish my clients’ work experience or skills, however I understand that many may struggle to articulate the value they can provide and this is where I can help. This, along with a professionally designed CV helps my clients stand out during the application process, and I have helped many successfully obtain interviews that lead to securing their desired role.

Please note: due to copyright and media consent, not all materials can be republished online and names or information have been redacted or changed for privacy purposes. Please feel free to contact me directly for more examples.

Apple x Digital Solutions – Tim Cook tweet, Apple website feature & Channel 9 News segment

Llewelleyn Motors Partnership

“Wow! I am very appreciative of what you have created. Thank you for the meeting to support us in moving forward. You have a gift and I am beyond grateful! I am just annoyed at myself I didn’t speak to you first. Thank you for saving the day! I love that this is uniquely ours too and doesn’t look generic. I just love it!”
– Bec (Brandmark and branded template design)

“Thank you Jess for the great work that you did (in a very short amount of time) to support the promotion of our Twilight Tour event. We had 13 new families come through on the night which has directly contributed to at least three new enrolments and I believe a large portion of this came through our social media campaign that you put together for us.”
– Duncan (Meta campaign inc. branded animated posts)

“Thanks so much for your help with our Marketing Plan. It’s all been happening and your plan and support have been helpful. Thank you again also for your support with our graphic design and collaboration with SS Signs. We really do appreciate it.”
– Lagi (Marketing plan and creative direction for outdoor signage, working with another designer)

“Thanks very much for your visit and all your support. I was very grateful for your time and expertise. The website looks fantastic and I appreciate all the work you are doing with communications, letters, designs, signs and banners. Thanks also for an outstanding presentation last night with our Board. The discussions and information you have shared have been very valuable to support us with future planning and marketing. I couldn’t do this without your support, thanks a million.”
– Tricia (Branding workshop, website upgrade and graphic design)

CONNECT WITH ME