When you think of marketing, you might picture the pop-up ads that appear on your favorite website, the emails you regularly receive from a local clothing store, or even the big, bright screens in Times Square. While these are all examples of marketing and advertising in action, these methods don\u2019t work without a solid strategic foundation. <\/p>\n
Have you ever wondered where marketing strategies come from? Good ideas don\u2019t just come out of nowhere\u2014they\u2019re brought to life by talented, detail-oriented people working behind the scenes. At Brafton, these professionals are our secret weapon.<\/p>\n
As a senior content marketing strategist, Natalie Kimmel helps steer the ship in the right direction, guiding creative projects toward our clients\u2019 ultimate goals. And in today\u2019s landscape of fierce competition and high customer expectations, having Natalie on your team ensures that initiatives are implemented in the most ingenious and effective way possible\u2014all while having a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
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How Natalie Caught the Marketing Bug<\/h2>\n
As an ambitious person who thrives on challenges, Natalie earned her bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees from the University of Dayton in just five years through an accelerated program. During her senior year, she landed a position as a graduate assistant at UD Magazine. In this role, she gained hands-on experience in creating editorial content and creative storytelling. She wrote feature articles, conducted interviews, and learned how to craft stories that would resonate with alumni, current students, and the university community as a whole. <\/p>\n
\u00abIt turned out to be an accurate glimpse into what I would do throughout my career: helping organizations tell their stories in a way that truly resonates with their audience,\u00bb she said. <\/p>\n
Although she enjoyed giving free rein to her creativity through editorials and interviews, what really interested her was the psychology of understanding people and their motivations. \u00abI like trying to get inside their heads, understand their challenges, and find out what questions they\u2019re asking themselves at 2 a.m.,\u00bb she said. <\/p>\n
This motivated her to explore a career in marketing. She landed her first job as a content strategist at The Learning House, a company that manages online programs for higher education. Although she was unfamiliar with this area of marketing at first, she quickly found her stride. She fell in love with the idea that she could attract people by being genuinely helpful and showing up where they naturally look for answers, rather than being pushy or interrupting them with traditional advertising. <\/p>\n
\u00abThis approach seemed much more authentic and valuable than the direct advertising tactics that people often associate with marketing,\u00bb she added. <\/p>\n
She then delved deeper into the world of higher education as a content marketing manager at Wiley, working specifically with their academic services division. In this role, she oversaw the digital content experience for about 20 college and university partners, each with different audiences, brand identities, and competitive landscapes. She was also responsible for creating microsites to host each partner\u2019s online programs. <\/p>\n
A pivotal moment for Natalie came during the creation of this website. Before launching each project, she held a formal meeting with professors and department chairs. These individuals were experts in their fields, but they often struggled to clearly communicate why their academic programs were important to prospective students. This process created a ripple effect that continued to influence her work long after she left that job. <\/p>\n
\u00abThrough these conversations, I learned to ask the right questions to uncover genuine value propositions and competitive advantages that weren\u2019t immediately obvious,\u00bb she said. <\/p>\n
The skills she gained during those interviews have helped her effectively onboard new clients at Brafton today. With this experience under her belt, she has mastered the art of translating clients\u2019 technical expertise or industry knowledge into concrete strategies that generate real impact and support key business objectives. <\/p>\n
Contribute Your Expertise to Brafton<\/h2>\n
Natalie joined Brafton in 2022 as a content marketing strategist and was quickly promoted to senior CMS, a reflection of her hard work and dedication to meeting clients' needs. <\/p>\n
Although there isn\u2019t necessarily a typical day in the life of a strategist, her job involves planning, creating, and executing content strategies that will be relevant and useful to client audiences. Rather than simply throwing a bunch of ideas onto a blog and seeing what sticks, Natalie takes a deep dive into every brand she partners with, closely examining target audience demographics, SEO optimization opportunities, competitor analysis, and performance tracking. This information then guides her project recommendations, making her a vital resource for our team. <\/p>\n
Although the CMS plays a vital role, Brafton's content could not produce positive results without all departments working together like the spokes of a wheel, <\/strong>in the right direction. And Natalie loves working with such a diverse and talented team. \u00abWe work with people from all over the world, and I think that\u2019s a truly incredible part of what we do,\u00bb she said. <\/p>\n Our account teams are made up of people from all over the world, from UX strategists in Canada to designers based in Brazil and project managers based in London. This international collaboration brings together diverse perspectives and innovative ideas, fueling creative solutions for our clients.<\/p>\n \u00abDespite the distance, I am constantly amazed by our ability to collaborate on matters such as strategy development, campaign execution, and the implementation of highly complex projects,\u00bb she added. <\/p>\n So you want to improve your brand\u2019s content strategy. Natalie shared her two key takeaways that all marketers should know:<\/p>\n With relevance and differentiation in mind, how should this change your approach to content writing? Here are five ways to incorporate Natalie\u2019s process into your own strategy:<\/p>\n Once the day is over and the work is done, you\u2019ll find Natalie planning her next big trip to add to her long list of travel adventures. Her next vacation? Paris for New Year\u2019s\u2014her third visit. She\u2019ll enjoy some croissants and stroll along the Seine as she rings in 2026. Since it\u2019s one of her favorite places in the world, she even named her cat Soleil.<\/p>\n She also spends a lot of her free time redecorating her space. If you\u2019ve had the pleasure of meeting Natalie online during work hours, you already know how beautiful her home is (or you might have thought it was just a flawless Google Meet background). Her favorite spot for treasure hunting in Louisville\u2014where she lives\u2014is Mellwood Antiques. Some of her recent finds include a red shelf, crystal bowls, several oriental rugs, and ginger pots. Stunning finds, if we do say so ourselves! <\/p>\n Whether she\u2019s rearranging her furniture or putting the finishing touches on a project proposal for her clients, Natalie always approaches every task with creativity and imagination. Now, follow her advice on content strategy\u2014or check out your local thrift store for a new trinket to add to your collection. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nNatalie's Best Tips for Strategic Marketing<\/h2>\n
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How to Implement This Approach in the Future<\/h3>\n
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Beyond Marketing: The Jet Set and Home Makeovers<\/h2>\n