My story: Melissa

What is digital strategy?  What is brand architecture?  How did I get into this?  I started M.T. Deco in 2018 after having my son Wally and as a way out of my corporate job.  The idea of owning my own business started gnawing at me years ago, but with bigger titles came bigger paychecks, and after 12 years at NBC and CNN, my career was also largely my identity.  It wasn’t until Wally came along that I realized how burned out I was and how important the flexibility of being able to prioritize his needs over my work became. He was my motivation to make a change.

With the new baby, and like many new parents, my values and perspective shifted, and excuses that used to hold up didn’t carry the same weight.  I realized that I could downsize my life just as much as I upsized it, and what I needed was the space to do work that I love on my own terms.  After years of bosses, minimal vacation and mastering everything from strategy to marketing, project management to video production, it was time to jump into the deep end.

In order to do that, I thought about how my skill set could translate to industries outside of media.  What I discovered is that the approach and follow-up questions are the same: What are you trying to accomplish? [more viewers, downloads, purchases, patients, followers, clients], who are you trying to reach?  [millennial women, men 25-54, Chick lit readers, families, YA], what is the most effective way to do that?  [video, written copy, audio… distributed via newsletters, podcast, TikTok] What are your resources?  [just gimme the strategy AND/OR please help me produce all content… and then publish it], let’s agree on measurable goals [besides 1 million Instagram followers and viral videos], etc. 

And here’s the thing, I am SO passionate about my clients.  I obsess, wake up at all hours, connect the dots on how to execute outside the box, figure out how to zig when others are zagging…  Also, after more than a year of testing the methodology— from large-scale media companies who need an airtight newsletter strategy, to entrepreneurs who need brand development, clients who are publishing books, to medical and fitness professionals that need a website and a social presence AND branding, etc.— I’ve seen the results, and I know the approach works.

To me, this is also more than handing off a plan. The analysis, by default, evolves into business development, PR, booking, graphic design, photo direction, media training, video production… it’s marketing, it’s content strategy… and it shapes how the entire business is run, which is why I like to think of it holistically as brand architecture.  It’s so satisfying to present the work to clients because it often forces them to turn a mirror on their entire operation. We might start with optimizing an Instagram strategy, for example, and then end up rethinking the entire contract process when signing new partners or clients. You never know where the process will take you.

I firmly believe all companies and brands need a comprehensive digital strategy, and I’m excited to continue expanding the amazing client base I’m already working with.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out and fill me in on your respective business and goals here.  Also be sure to follow along on our blog and social platforms for tips and tricks, and to ask questions, guidance, etc.  I hope to get to know many of you as both clients and as a community!   Xo, Melissa