When site traffic topped one million unique visits in 2010, the City of Coquitlam’s Communications leadership realized their web site was a vital touch-point for this rapidly growing municipality and in serious need of an upgrade. Working with a technology partner, I led a research process that included research such as:

• Facilitating focus groups with Coquitlam residents and businesses
• Drafting an electronic survey to be served up to all site visitors during a two-week period.
• Analyzing site traffic to determine user behaviour patterns and explore trends
• Reviewing a host of peer sites to determine best practices and compare Coquitlam’s offerings with similar Lower Mainland municipalities

Results launch new City site project: After I compiled the research results and a wide range of recommendations into a 100-page report, we presented the findings to municipal leaders. This helped support the City’s decision to revamp its public face to better meet the needs of a diverse and growing user base.

New site, new content approach: As part of an RFP-winning project team with my technology partner, we began designing and building the new site. As well as being involved in developing the Information Architecture, a key deliverable of mine was working with City Communications staff on a content migration strategy, dedicated to ensuring content on the new site would be updated, relevant and aligned with a new content approach. As part of this, I developed and delivered a web content preparation workshop for 30+ web content producers.

Surrey Urban Screen

Located in Surrey, BC, Canada’s largest non-commercial outdoor urban screen is dedicated to displaying a large variety of beautiful digital and interactive art. I drafted content for a variety of pages on their web site, and worked closely with the City of Surrey’s Culture and Recreation staff to highlight this project and increase awareness around its installation.

This high-end painting and decorating firm has a 25-year history of premium quality and tailouring their work to each client’s unique tastes. However, they were looking to make inroads into marketing their services to key professionals in the industry. I developed a content voice for the new site, focusing on key interest areas identified while also integrating this content with a consumer-oriented portion of the site.

As one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of diesel engines, generators and other components for heavy-duty vehicles, Cummins Western Canada continues to add to their product offerings. I’ve provided writing, editing and communications advice to this Western-Canada-based organization as it continues to grow.

Principally Speaking, Broker e-newsletter

Research and consultation with broker principals showed that this key audience group wasn’t well served by the existing communication channels. Working with ICBC staff, we mapped out a strategy to launch this innovative new subscription-only stakeholder communication.

This BC not-for-profit organization is involved in the tough and vital work of fighting the spread of dangerous and invasive species across the province, so it was understandable that their web site content had such a strong technical focus. Unfortunately, however, this made it rather challenging for this client’s readers to understand and comprehend the importance and significance of the company’s highly important work. I had the pleasure of working alongside the council’s communications team to revamp content across the entire site, simplifying and toning down the complex jargon in favour of new content much easier for the typical reader to comprehend.

This large, Burnaby-based truck and heavy equipment dealer has operations spanning the entire west coast of North America. Their challenge was pulling information into a single location from multiple web sites and ensuring the message kept a consistent tone and voice. I developed draft content for both their Canadian and US sites, providing them with a consistent voice across their operations.

This Langley-based company found itself struggling in a highly competitive industry to raise awareness of its full range of available services. As they prepared to double their available storage space, I worked with them to establish an authentic corporate voice and tell the story of their customer-focused service.

As this highly successful provider of CEO peer forums across Canada continued to grow, they were looking to update their web site in order to reflect their professional image and growing stature within the marketplace. This North Shore based client and I worked together to achieve their ideal information architecture and web content.

Established in 1928, this successful insurance broker based on the Lower Mainland had a web site that seemed inflexible and out of date. I worked with client to develop content for the web site and ensure all services and offerings were clearly featured, bringing their web site up to speed.