Jessica Holmes Copywriting | News + quirks | Boise, Idaho writing, PR, SEO + editing

Dental work

2010-03-26T20:58:00.001-07:00

I have a crush on Balihoo Creative. The full-service marketing firm is a partner of Balihoo, the thriving technology startup that provides local marketing automation software for national brands.

I’ve worked with the firm since I started out on my own, and they recently hooked me up with my biggest assignment ever.

The mission: Create a complete campaign for Nobel Biocare dental implants that dental practices nationwide can customize and utilize, starting with 4 TV spots, and moving on to direct mail, print ads, email campaigns, banner ads, radio, a sales letter, a whitepaper and more. And do it fast. And well.

I did. It was absolutely thrilling to be the voice on every element of an entire campaign. Most copywriters never get to do this. Ever. No matter what sort of big time place they eventually end up.

The work is now in production, and when I get some samples, I’ll pass them by.

Best news: They’ve commissioned me to do another TV spot! This time possibly not about dental implants, but I’m not sure yet…

Connecting Chicago Connection to the press

2010-03-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm a copywriter. I'm a provider of words. But I'm also a PR director. And a pretty damn good marketing director too.

That’s because I’m a copywriter who’s really effective at seeing marketing possibility. It may have taken me a few years of beating my head against the creative wall, but I now know what to do to make promotions work. It takes research. It takes planning. It takes strong, consistent execution.

Here’s what I did for Chicago Connection.

PR Plan Phase I + II. For a flat fee, I gave a complete PR plan based on research, analysis and creative ideas. Phase I included a competitive analysis of the pizza competition, a media analysis, and a PR menu with dozens of ideas ranging from press releases to social media to guerilla campaigns. In Phase II, we selected the top ideas the client liked, and decided when, how and where each portion would come to be.

Press Kit. I then put together a modifiable press kit for Chicago Connection to give to the press or business partners

Press Release. For our first press release, I found two Chicago Connection customers and interviewed them on celiac disease, and how the gluten-free pizza at Chicago Connection gave them a big boost in life quality and enjoyment. The Idaho Statesman picked it up for The Scene, an entertainment magazine that’s free on area newsstands all week. It got the headline, the picture and a lot of gluten-free love. I also sent the release to gluten-free blogs and stores.

We’re now teaming up with Tricycle to generate on-the-ground ideas from Chicago Connection employees. Stay tuned!

Salmon speech for Idaho Rivers United

2010-03-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

I first gave this speech at a fund-raising breakfast for a remarkable non-profit I'm a board member for, Idaho Rivers United. It got such an enthusiastic response, I was invited to present it again at the breakfast in Ketchum. Here's the speech:

I have a sort of fish’s-eye view of this organization. A few years ago, one of my good friends worked as IRU’s salmon coordinator. She accordingly outfitted me as a volunteer in a full-body sockeye salmon suit whenever possible. The world looks different through the eyes, or in this case, the gaping mouth, of a giant sockeye salmon.

I began to think like a fish. Or, in any case, to think more about this red-bodied, green-headed fish I inhabited. As an Idaho sockeye salmon, I would be spawned in the cold waters of Redfish Lake, grow to a fry, and float downstream 900 miles to the sea, where I would eat, roam oceans, grow big, and fight my way back to that lake in the shadows of the Sawtooths.

At least, that was my fish story 40 years ago, and for millennia before that. Now, my life starts in a hatchery and ends in one, and I face 8 dams on my journey down, and 8 on my way back. And still, I come back, but I am on the brink.

What an amazing story. If only fish could talk, it would be the Odyssey, it would be epic, one of the great tales of perseverance and renewal in our world.

But fish can’t talk, and rivers can’t talk, and when they are threatened with extinction or pollution, Idaho Rivers United talks for them.

From my fish suit, I witnessed IRU-sponsored rallies, outreach on the Boise River and events like the annual Salmon Festival in Stanley. Eventually, I began to see the real work of this organization, the policy and public awareness and protection that IRU tirelessly fights to give our rivers and fish across the state.

Holistic and dogged in our approach, IRU believes that transformative achievements are possible with a small but creative, hard-working staff, a diverse, dedicated board and members like you.

It just takes passion for our rivers. Passion that all Idahoans experience every time we witness the many wonders of our state’s waterways.

The Pen is Mightier Than

2010-01-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

So, I turned 30 recently.

I've always read the backs of book covers to see when authors first published. Now, I'll never be one of those young, prodigious 20-something writers, the horizon like a golden field.

But, I still want to be a writer, and now I have this beautiful painting by Mike Landa to inspire me.

PHOTO CAPTION: Mike dubbed it, "Jessica's Sword."

Two high-profile newsletter guest appearances.

2010-01-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

I not only write stunning newsletters, I also appear in them, looking somewhat stunning.

Focus, the BSU alumni magazine, is apparently sent to all of my relatives, because I tell you I knew when that Fall 2009 issue came out. I am pictured on page 16 because, as a representative of Alley Repertory Theater, I'm part of an amazing partnership with Clay Morgan of The BSU Story Initiative and Paul Shaffer of The Cabin Literary Center on a project called Story Story Night. This innovative monthly program will bring live, unfettered storytelling (think: The Moth) into the spotlight. Look for its launch in March 2010.

PHOTO CAPTION: Our outfits quite unintentionally totally matched VaC’s sign. Fashion photo kismet.

This winter, I wrote a story for the Idaho Rivers United quarterly, Currently, about my advancement from a volunteer in a full-body sockeye salmon suit to a board member of the river conservation organization.

PHOTO CAPTION: A fish’s eye view of a remarkable non-profit.

NY Times Geek Out

2009-12-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

I love it when the style editors from the NY Times sound off on the slight grammatical mistakes they find. It's like candy for nerds.

Self branding is like self psychoanalysis

2009-11-21T02:16:00.000-08:00

My new expanded website, however simple, took me months of slogging to finally get out in the cyberworld. Defining oneself to others when one relies on oneself to do well is almost as difficult and painful as the wording of this sentence. Sometimes, you need an outsider to gain perspective. That, or half a year. And sedatives.

Pizza PR kicks off for Chicago Connection

2009-11-21T02:13:00.000-08:00

PR is about creative outreach, especially in a time of imploding media outlets. For Chicago Connection, I crafted a two-part PR plan (part I: a competitive/media analysis and idea brainstorm; part II: final projects laid out with goals, benefits, costs and timelines) that covered a wide range of outlets and uses—from a media kit to local initiatives to social media.

Now in execution, I’ll keep you posted on the results.

Alley Rep casts me as Marketing Director

2009-11-21T02:10:00.000-08:00

One day this summer, I sat outside the Modern Hotel with Hollis Welsh, an absolute stunner of a human being. She told me about a theater company she started a few ago with Buffie Main. Of course I had already heard about it. Two of my former co-workers, the husband and wife creative duo now known as Neighborhood All Stars, designed a jaw-dropping website for the company (alleyrep.org). And it buzzed all over the news.

Somehow, I knew immediately that it would be a great fit for me, and I for it. I’m now Marketing Director for Alley Repertory Theater, a live performance stage for some of the most relevant, innovative and irreverent stuff out there. I’m thrilled to take part. It all happens at the beautiful Visual Arts Collective.

Bird, bird, bird. Bird is the word.

2009-11-21T02:05:00.000-08:00

So, how’s this for low-budget brilliance? My friend, creative consultant and the designer extraordinaire Mike Landa and I took several pages of paper and splashed on dozens of ink blot birds. Then, we drew on pen beaks. Then, we picked the ones with the most perceived personality. Then, I hand wrote my information in my very quirky and nearly illegible handwriting. Then, he laid out business cards.

Wowza! They are, in my opinion, extraordinary. I love all four. They compliment my business objective and personal identity in a way that hits that magic sweet spot a good brand should.

Way to save the day again creativity. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, meet:

The chirpy one.

The classy one.

The long-necked one.

The clumsy chick.

Ask me anything about epoxy flooring

2009-11-21T01:54:00.000-08:00

I love my job. One day, I learn all about the micro-filtration systems on commercial backpack vacuums. The next, I’m immersed in the world of seamless epoxy flooring. Variety is my spice, and I eat it raw.

I’m particularly proud of my SEO-heavy copy for Epoxy Systems, an installation company based in Meridian. It’s straightforward and fun and sneaky educational. Even Google likes it. On last check, it ranked #2 for epoxy flooring, a term that receives 27,000 searches a month.

SEO made simple with singing sock puppets

2009-11-21T01:52:00.000-08:00

At Oliver Russell, we were nudged to offer brownbag presentations that highlighted some niche skill that possibly held slight interest for the rest of the team. I had recently taken a virtual seminar on writing for Search Engine Optimization, a practice I first picked up and utilized while at SMG.

But how bloody boring. Even the name makes your mouth numb. What could I do with that?

Well, if you have four hours, a music-man for a boyfriend, two tube socks and a video camera, you can do a rousing musical sendoff. Afterwards, you get huge props.