MIKAELA YEAGER PROJECT PORTFOLIO The pieces included in my portfolio showcase my top five strengths, as well as key components of my skills in marketing communications, social media management, strategic planning, content creation, multi-media advertising, graphic design and more.

TOP 5 GALLUP STRENGTHS

ACHIEVER

I have an inherent drive to make each day count. For me, every facet of life—work, personal and academics—is a nonstop challenge to reach higher and achieve something greater than the time before. This mentality supplies me with the energy to work long hours without burning out and to get started on new tasks, while maintaining a high level productivity for myself and my team. It is this constant desire for achievement that keeps me moving—and that allows me to truly savor and appreciate the little things.

INDIVIDUALIZATION

We are all different and have our own unique strengths to bring to the table. I personally enjoy—and have a knack for—getting to know people, their individual attributes and learning what makes them tick. I want every interaction to be constructive and meaningful, and having a good grasp of each person’s style, motivation and modus operandi helps me achieve that. In the end, I think identifying differences does not spread teams apart but allows them to become more trusting and mutually reliable.

LEARNER

I love to learn and am constantly seeking ways to expand my knowledge base. Whether advancing my education through a formal degree program, sitting in on a live webinar or attending a national conference or local seminar, I thoroughly enjoy the process of learning. My outlook is that, no matter how experienced I may be in a particular area, processes are always evolving, and there’s always someone else out there who is one step ahead of the curve. Leveraging the expertise of others and then sharing and applying that newfound knowledge is incredibly satisying to me, especially knowing I am just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

RESTORATIVE

Rather than getting dismayed when the unexpected arises, I enjoy the challenge of identifying the cause of problems and finding optimal solutions. Regardless of the level of severity or type of problem, I am bound and determined to fix it and will calmly go through the proper channels until all is restored to its full glory.

INPUT

This builds off of my love for learning, but rather than simply enhancing my proficiency in a certain subject matter, I also rely on peer feedback and experiential guidance to identify areas of self-improvement. The world that surrounds us on a daily basis offers infinite variety and complexity, and I always want to keep my eyes—and my mind—open to new ways of bettering myself and others.

“MY PATH” NEW STUDENT GUIDEBOOK

In summer 2016, new students at Clarkson College became the first class to receive the “My Path” guidebook. The objective of this piece is to help incoming students be successful as they prepare for and endure their first year of College. The 46-page guidebook discusses everything from new student orientation and registration to parking and health and safety requirements. With this guidebook at their side, students are much more likely to be aware of the resources and services available to them and the many ways they can reach their potential in their first year and beyond. View the online version of the “My Path” New Student Guidebook.

HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR PIECE

The Clarkson College Marketing department designed a recruitment piece that exclusively targets high school juniors who have an expressed interest in health care. The piece gives the students a glimpse inside the culture at Clarkson College without inundating them with in-depth details about academic programs, tuition, financial aid, etc. The goal of the High School Junior piece is merely to entice college-bound students to take the next step, i.e. visit the Clarkson College website and request more information, plan a campus visit or attend an upcoming Preview Day. When writing the copy for this piece, I maintained the solemn yet inspiring Clarkson College brand voice, while also infusing a touch of humor and light-heartedness to gain the appeal of a younger audience. View the full version of the High School Junior Piece.

PROGRAM BOOKLETS

When the Clarkson College Marketing department conducted a rebranding project in 2010, we designed an informational booklet for each academic program offered at the College. I worked closely with the program directors to gather pertinent information to include in the booklets. While factual, the content retains the Clarkson College brand voice and gives prospective students a sense of the true character of the institution. View the full version of the Graduate Nursing Booklet.

125TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK

Clarkson College celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2013. In honor of this milestone, we created a book filled with archival photos and facts about some of the institution’s most prized moments in history. My task was to write a short, compelling description for each fact in the book. Clarkson College employees and alumni who attended the 125-year dinner celebration each received a copy. View the full version of the 125-Year Anniversary Book.

WEBSITE & LANDING PAGES

With the launch of a revamped website in 2010, we needed to refresh our web content and intercalate the new brand voice. In updating the content for each webpage, we recognized the importance of search engine optimization to boost organic search results, while also aiming to write informative, easily digestible copy. In my role, I update web content regularly as programmatic and institutional changes arise. View more of the Clarkson College website.

Clarkson College also has several landing pages, which we often create for specific campaigns or target audiences. For the “Be the Best� landing page (example on the right), the content is geared toward high school students. Striking images of Clarkson College students, faculty, staff and the campus permeate throughout the webpage. The copy is inviting and laconic so viewers can stay engaged and feel enlightened upon leaving the site. View the full Be the Best webpage.

E-MAIL CAMPAIGNS

One of the main recruitment and communications tools used at Clarkson College is an online e-mail campaign service equipped with comprehensive tracking capabilities. The custom templates are branded so recipients can quickly identify each campaign as a communication from Clarkson College. We use this tool to communicate with all of our target audiences, including current students, employees, alumni, prospective students and partners. The sample campaign to the right was sent to ACT test-takers in high school who indicated an interest in a field of health care offered at Clarkson College. In it, I provided an introduction to Clarkson College and gave prospective students the option to click to learn more or to plan a campus visit. View the interactive version of this e-mail campaign.

Current Student & Why Clarkson College Videos

In spring 2014, Clarkson College launched a series of online videos that feature interviews with various current students. Although we worked with a local video production company to produce the videos, I worked with academic program directors to coordinate which students would “star� in the videos and prepped them with questions and talking points to consider for the interviews. The following fall, we utilized footage from the online videos to create spots for a three-month TV campaign. The spots aired on major networks, targeting high schoolers, community college students, and parents of prospective students. View the online videos.

EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER

The Alumni Times is a quarterly alumni magazine, and the Maltese Crossing is a bi-weekly employee e-newsletter. I serve as the primary writer and editor for both publications. For each issue, I play an integral role in developing the story board, conducting interviews, taking photos and writing the respective articles. View the full Summer 2016 issue of the Alumni Times View a recent issue of the Maltese Crossing

FACEBOOK PAGE

Given the small size of the Marketing team at Clarkson College, social media was not a primary focus during my first couple of years working for the institution. Recognizing its importance for building brand awareness and loyalty, I requested funds to attend a higher education marketing conference in Chicago where I attended various seminars related to social media management and marketing. Following the conference, I led the development and implementation of a strategic plan to increase the number of “Likes,” reach, visits and engagement of the Clarkson College Facebook page. Our number of “Likes” and total reach nearly doubled in just four months after implementing the plan. To celebrate reaching 1,000 “Likes,” in 2012, we held a contest for a free mini iPad. Students and alumni who answered a question about their experience at Clarkson College were eligible to win. We held a similar contest in winter 2016 for reaching 2,016 “Likes.” The page now has nearly 2,400 followers. View the Clarkson College Facebook page.

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIC PLAN – 2016

Continuous strategic employment of a robust social media strategy is essential for fostering awareness of the Clarkson College brand among prospective students and the public at large. Additionally, positive social media interactions with current students, faculty, staff, alumni, key influencers and thought leaders in the community will glean greater loyalty, support and pride for the Clarkson College brand and its Mission. Each year, I update the college’s social media strategic plan based on analytics and insights gleaned over the last year. The plan entails defined goals, objectives, target audiences, strategies and tactics for each of the Clarkson College Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube pages. View the full Clarkson College Social Media Strategic Plan. New in fall 2016, I led the development of a Student Instagrammer program at the college in which five socially active students are selected to serve as Clarkson College advocates, ambassadors and relatable personalities for prospective students, current students and alumni. Utilizing user-generated content has more than doubled our number of followers and quadrupled engagement on the college’s Instagram page. View the Clarkson College Instagram page and the Student Instagrammer Guidelines & Responsibilities.

FACEBOOK ADS

Clarkson College has recently starting investing more advertising dollars in targeted Facebook ads. By utilzing e-mail addresses provided in our Request More Information forms, we can create custom audiences for who the ads will serve. The ads to the right launched in April 2016 and are promoting the RN to BSN program. They appeared on the Facebook news feeds and Instagram pages of those who inquired to the program within the last six months.

GOOGLE ADWORDS & ANALYTICS

Over the last three-and-a-half years, Clarkson College has leveraged online advertising through Google AdWords pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. In spring 2013, I was given the responsibility to set-up the intial campaigns, which included creating keyword lists, ad groups and ad copy for Google search networks. I monitor the campaigns daily and make adjustments based on performance and opportunities. In fall 2015, I created an AdWords campaign for the Health Care Business program. The top right Google Analytucs graph compares the total pageviews the program’s webpage received in that time period versus the number it received during the two-week period prior to the campaign’s launch. Entrance to the webpage increased by 800%, and the average time spent on the page increased by 40. 37%. Below the Google Analytics report are two examples of search ads I created for the Health Care Business program.

“The Path” Video

With the unveiling of the new Clarkson College brand in 2010, we worked with a local agency to create an inspirational video dedicated to those who work in the field of health care. I was privileged with the opportunity to write the copy for this video, which has been shown at various pinning and graduation ceremonies since its release. View “The Path” video on the PrepareToBeTheBest microsite.

MEDIA RELEASES

One of my essential job functions is to serve as the primary media contact for Clarkson College. This role entails writing and submitting news releases to all of the appropriate media outlets. Congratulatory announcements for graduating students, scholarship recipients and students named to the dean’s list are sent each semester, and alerts of any major achievements or events at the College are sent accordingly. The media release on the top right is notification of a top ranking Clarkson College recently received by U.S. News & World Report. I wrote and submitted the media release below for a fundraising event held for Partnership for Autism Career Employment, which is a subsidiary of Autism Action Partnership of Omaha. Part of my duties as a PACE volunteer entail generating publicity for public fundraising events. Both media releases received a response and coverage from the Omaha World-Herald.

MARKETING PLANS – NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAM LAUNCH

In fall 2016, Clarkson College became one of the first institutions in the region to launch a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Bachelor’s degree program. I developed the following marketing plan as a framework for generating awareness and recruiting students to apply to the program. The integrated plan includes print, web, digital, social media, and public relations strategies. I discussed and finalized the plan with the PTA program director and then communicated project duties with the graphic designer and website coordinator to ensure all of the tactics outlined in the plan would be completed by the expected deadlines with time for the program director to review and approve each item.

PUBLIC RELATIONS PROPOSAL – RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY

In my Advertising & Public Relations Issues & Strategies Master’s degree course, my final project entailed creating a high-level public relations plan for an existing social service or non-profit organization. In the PR plan I developed for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, which is dedicated to creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines, I propose endorsing a corporate bicycling company to sponsor one-year anniversary celebrations of newly-built rails-totrails systems across the U.S. The objective is to build awareness of how the new trail systems are benefitting local economies, the environment and the physical well-being of the community. View the full RTC Public Relations proposal.

MARKETING PLANS – NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH

This marketing plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the strategy for launching a new autonomous, battery-powered lawn mower known as the MondoMower. My group members and I at the University of Nebraska— Lincoln conducted extensive market research and situational analyses to formulate practical yet aggressive marketing and advertising objectives; research and development efforts; and segmentation, promotion, distribution, and pricing strategies. View the full MondoMower Marketing Plan.

MARKETING PLANS – JCPENNEY BRAND LAUNCH

A final project assignment for one of the courses in my Integrated Media Communications master’s degree program at UNL entailed writing a brand re-launch proposal for JC Penney. The attached proposal outlines the history of the JC Penney brand, its current standing and concepts to redeem the brand’s image and perceived quality. View the full JC Penney Brand Relaunch Plan.

MARKETING RESEARCH PROJECT – INCREASING ALUMNI GIVING

This research study was conducted by graduate students of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Journalism & Mass Communications and sought to find effective marketing and communication methods for propelling alumni of varying generations to become and/or maintain a loyal and supportive connection with their alma mater. View the full research study.

RESIDENCE HALL VINYL

This past year, we took on the task of livening up the communal areas of the Clarkson College Residence Hall. The idea was to give the walls a personality that was fun, caring and a little cheeky. We came up with more than 20 sayings to display throughout the three floors. I prepared the artwork for print and worked with a graphics display company to complete the installation.

T-SHIRT DESIGNS

As both the Marketing Specialist at Clarkson College and as a volunteer for Partnership for Autism Career Employment, I am responsible for designing T-shirts for a multitude of events and fundraisers. Once the design is finalized, I work with a local T-shirt vendor to process each order.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES POSTERS

Clarkson College hosts a slew of on-campus activities each year. As marketing respresentative on the Student Activities, I create a promotional poster for each event to display throughout campus and on various social media channels.