Karen Gosney

Freelance Digital Marketing

Simply Good (Bulk Food Retailer)

January 2022 - Current

Managing their Digital Marketing, including social media, EDM's website content, Google Analytics, Facebook Meta Business Suite, building engagement and brand awareness.

I have taken all the photos used in the Facebook posts, created the content, and the scheduled posts.  I have updated the website, exported the subscribers from the website and set them up in Mail Chimp, ready to send out the first of our EDM's, with the focus of driving traffic to the website.

Fernbank Livestock Transport

June 2009 - Current

I have provided ad hoc marketing services to Fernbank Livestock Transport over the past 13 years, including creating press ads for local newspapers, business cards, helping them set up professional email addresses from a personalised domain name, promoting their business locally and managing their sponsorship with local equine sports competitors.  The sponsorship management includes developing the sponsorship agreements, managing the relationships, ensuring required content is provided by the sponsored riders, manging the sponsored riders budgets, and ensuring that all KPI's are achieved.

Enrolments Coordinator

C & K Association

March 2019 - Current

• Develop multi-channel marketing campaigns tailored to assist individual child care centres to address centre specific occupancy challenges, in order to increase revenue by building utilisation across 38 long day care centres; examples include:
  • Email campaign to 105 existing families with a tailored offering resulting in an estimated $37k additional annual revenue
  • Implemented the Tell-A-Friend Campaign, disseminated via social media advertising in conjunction with Electronic Direct Mailouts (EDMs), our Story park App and flyers, creating a word of mouth movement and generating an estimated annual revenue increase of $100k.
• Updating centre web pages with relevant content and collateral in order to generate enquiries, including taking the photographs and creating the collateral
• Working hands on in the centres, with front desk employees and Directors to improve conversion rates by providing guidance on identifying barriers to enrolment and training in customer service and marketing strategies
• Implemented personal customer service strategies that successfully placed an additional 36 children, across 30 centres, in six months, lifting utilisation by 9.42% and increasing estimated annual revenue by $120k
• Identify process issues and changes required to processes and practices
• Responsible for promoting two new centres, managing in excess of 150 families on the wait lists, communicating with interested parents and managing all enquiries.
• Tracking, monitoring and measuring ROI. 

Digital Marketing Manager

Steedmart

March 2017 – March 2019

Steedmart was a specialised online marketplace for everything horses (similar to Amazon, but for everything horses). 

• Created marketing and social media strategies from scratch, including a national advetising calendar, national sponsorship, national and international blog writers, national equine event attendance, marketing collateral and digital marketing strategies including, competitions, videos, motivational quotes, topical information, special offers and social media influencers.
• In the first four months I,
  • created a Facebook profile and built a following of 2,500 people
  • implemented a Social Media and Google Adwords management strategy to help drive traffic to the website, increasing visitors by 31% and sales by 572%
• Created the monthly newsletter for our retailers, as well as weekly Electronic Director Mailouts (EDMs) for our consumers, sent out using SendGrid to monitor penetration. 
• Wrote 16 blogs to help build our Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) content
• Tracked, monitored and measured our marketing efforts; and reported to our Director on a daily basis
• Managed the $250k marketing budget
• Conducted market research on an going basis to help determine competitors, opportunities and strategies
• Completed two major projects:
  • Utilising HubSpot CRM I created a management system for our nine sponsored riders, to ensure we connected with them regularly, obtained images and copy relating to their latest competition results, ensured they provided us with their scheduled blogs/vlogs, product reviews and managed their product budget of $5k each, throughout the year
  • Created the automation and workflow in Mailchimp to generate EDMs to consumers, dependent upon triggers in our workflows, subscriber activity, and eCommerce purchases.
  • Developed a promotional video for Steedmart to disseminate our marketing message across multiple digital channels including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Ads and our website.
• Seconded to the parent company, Saddlery Trading Company, to cover the position of Marketing Assistant for three months, until a new employee could be sourced.  This role entailed:
  • Managed multiple EDMs from three separate companies using Mailchimp
  • Managed the social media profiles for the three companies; Greg Grant Saddlery, Saddlery Trading Company and Horse Gear Outlet, including creating the collateral, scheduling and monitoring
  • Photographed, edited and created imagery for the monthly newsletter, websites and social media profiles
  • Maintained the Mailchimp databases for automated EDM campaigns to segmented audiences, based on recent activity, inactivity, purchases, location, age, gender, riding discipline, etc...

Marketing Communications Manager 

North Lakes Resort Golf Club

October 2015 – March 2017

• Developed and executed marketing plans for multiple income streams; Golf Club Members, Casual Golf bookings, Weddings, Restaurant patrons, Corporate Golf and Social Golf
• Established, implemented and managed all marketing campaigns and collateral, incorporating conception, budgets, development of & outsourcing art work, implementation, timelines, and ROI
• Implemented and managed the digital marketing, including social media, Google Adwords, Google Analytics, and Social Media Advertising
• Managed multiple events, including the Redcliffe Kite Festival, local carnivals and social golf days to increase brand awareness and market share
• Using InfusionSoft, tracked EDM results such as open rates, click throughs and unsubscribes; monitored campaign success via landing page traffic; managed leads for weddings, corporate and social golf; and tracked client's purchases
• Used Google Analytics to monitor and measure total visits, new sessions, bounce rate, top channels, acquisitions, social and Adwords
• Monitored our bookings across all income streams, daily takings in the restaurant, golf shop and pro shop, referrals, telephone enquiries, social media activity and interaction
• Managing and updating the website, SEO, online enquiries and the ongoing maintenance of these channels
• The development of the North Lakes Resort Golf Club marketing plan was one of my key tasks, including establishing, implementing and managing all marketing campaigns and collateral, incorporating conception, budgets, development of/out sourcing art work, implementation, timelines, and ROI.  Tracking, monitoring and measuring our marketing efforts and reporting the results to the General Manager on a monthly basis, in addition to event management, including the Redcliffe Kite Festival, local carnivals and social golf days, in the ultimate effort to increase brand awareness and market share.

Marketing Manager

Sesame Lane Child Care

July 2012 – June 2015

• Developed marketing strategies for future sustainable growth, including a parent focus group to determine what we were doing and weren't doing well and how to improve
• Developed and implemented the Marketing Plan aligned to strategic imperatives of building brand awareness and increasing market share, including managing all marketing campaigns and collateral, from conception and budgets, through to timelines and ROI
• Developed a Crisis Communications Plan
• Established, implemented and managed a digital marketing plan for Sesame Lane Child Care, including the social media strategy; management of Google Analytics, Google Adwords and Social Media advertising; the redevelopment of the website, SEO, online enquiries and ongoing maintenance
• Built brand awareness and increased market share, via the Annual Sesame Lane Family Fair and Refer-A-Friend campaigns.  The Refer A Friend campaign consistently achieved referral enrolments with an annual revenue increase of $250k
• Created campaigns to help maintain our existing enrolments, including 'Win a Family Holiday to Hamilton Island', which limited enrolment drop to 2% compared to 9% over the previous Christmas holiday period.
• Created and managed a database of all competitors in North Brisbane, including their name, location, licensed places, offerings, fees, website capabilities and marketing strategies
• Conducted secondary research via the Australian Bureau of Statistics around employment, income, number of families, number and age of children, etc.. in statistical areas
• Researched, implemented, managed and supported a Customer Relationship Management program (ChildCare CRM), including group and one-on-one training for 20 staff members
• Managed events including the Sesame Lane Annual Family Fair, Redcliffe Kite Fest, Festival of Sails, Caboolture Family Fun Day and Caboolture Christmas Under the Stars
• Managed a team of two marketing assistants and a graphic designer, as well as coordinated the 13 centre Directors in relation to events, campaigns and marketing skills
•  Reported to the CEO on a weekly basis and to the board on a monthly basis

Marketing Manager

Marketing Measures

November 2011 – July 2012

• Developed marketing plans for clients, incorporating extensive market research; creative strategy development; management of social media marketing; e-marketing; website development and SEO; competitors analysis; customer analysis; SWOT analysis;  micro and macro environment analysis
• Worked closely with clients to help build their social media strategy and train them in the implementation and management of those strategies
• Worked closely with the Kilcoy Chamber of Commerce and Community Inc., to develop and manage their first website and Facebook page

Business Networks & Events Coordinator

Caboolture Business Enterprise Centre

March 2011 - July 2012

• Coordinated the Women in Business network, the Women in Business Coaching Program, the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Network and the Fashion QLD network
• Maintained databases for the networks
• Produced and distributed the e-newsletters and email correspondence to/with network members
• Networked with community agencies
• Researched, facilitated and coordinated events relevant to the networks, including workshops; training days; and professional development
• Increased the networks and connections within the community through social media including Facebook, Twitter and Linked In
• Managed and updated the website on a regular basis
• Facilitatrf the Women in Business Coaching Program, whilst managing and maintaining stakeholder relationships through development and implementation of public relations strategies
• Organised and managed a Melbourne Cup Function for 200 people on the lawns of the Centenary Lakes Function Centre in Caboolture, bringing together four local groups: Business Professional Women – Caboolture, Commerce Caboolture, 101.5 FM Community Radio and the Caboolture Business Enterprise Centre.  The Melbourne Cup Function included: live music; a fashion show, sweeps, a three course meal, and fashions on the field.

Marketing & Communications Manager

Art Attack Pty Ltd

1991 – 2006

In my capacity as Marketing & Communications Manager I was responsible for all marketing, sales, public relations and communications, including:    

Art Attack relocated from Canberra to Brisbane in 2003, and the successful relocation is a testament to my results-producing execution of public relations strategies and new market penetration.