Crafting the perfect blend of story and strategy. That’s really at the heart of any business messaging that aims for impact. Who’s your audience? How can you help solve a problem, meet a need, or inspire an action? Simple enough, but too often overlooked. Get personal and your story will find its shape and lead to progress.Take hospitality. Even on the supply side, it’s important to deliver comfort. When I headed the content and communications team for a premier supply source, we launched a listening tour to pinpoint our customer appeal. Sure enough, getting personal meant identifying with the everyday concerns of a hotel’s housekeeping director and showing we know what it takes to create memorable guest experiences again and again. In multi-channel messages we gave products a purpose, made compliance seem easy, placed a value on renovation, and illustrated the upsides of sustainability. We guided conversations that brought answers and opportunities into focus.Of course, story and strategy work best when informed by who you are and where you’ve been. Brand identity – or, more acutely, brand perception. My unique background, from journalism to nonprofits to B2B hospitality, helps me effectively discover, delineate, ideate, and execute…so your communications plan actually leads your organization where it needs to go.• Entertainment editor/writer for Chicago Suburban Times• Founding member, editor of newspaper sold by homeless vendors• Helped launch not-for-profit tutoring/mentoring organization• Wrote oral history book on Cabrini-Green housing development• Wrote anniversary book on Executives' Club of Chicago • Ghostwriter on several business books, healthcare books• Independent content strategist for multiple design agencies• Partnered on brand building efforts with B2B and B2C organizations• Scripted corporate videos, leadership speeches, and awards presentations• Brand strategy, marketing campaigns, and corporate communications for CHSFrom targeted email campaigns to brand building, web relaunches, digital catalogs, books, video and beyond, the key to engaging with impact is crafting the perfect blend of story and strategy.I consult and collaborate with creative agencies, nonprofit organizations, and B2B and B2C clients. As a communications specialist, brand strategist, and author, I know impactful messaging and marketing is powered by digital tools and data analytics. I also know these advanced elements make it more vital than ever to craft stories that stand out, with purpose.