Specialties
Jo's specialities lie, inevitably, in the world of food and beverage but at the heart of her work lies the core aim of deep reader engagement, regardless of content matter. Jo's specialty over time has been to turn this reader engagement into tangible sales and longterm customer loyalty, building up trust and repeat sales through the strength of her written communications. Rather than going for the "hard sell", Jo's preferred and proven approach is through the power of suggestion and evocation; selling an idea or ideal alongside the item itself, the former often being more powerful and being the clincher in the final sales decisions.
Interests
Beyond the world of words, whether her own or absorbing those of others through hours of reading, when life permits, Jo is always more than happy to while away the hours in the kitchen, cooking up a storm for her family and the endless Kiwi visitors who pop in unannounced "for a quick hello" and who stay for a while longer.
Living in the mountains of the South Island, Jo loves to be up in the hills, in summer with a pack on her back and in winter with a pair of skis on her feet. Her two sons are fortunate enough not to be able to remember a time when they *didn't* ski, following in their father's (a former competitive skier) bootmarks and ski tracks. She is very happy to be the backstop Charlie of the family and enjoys moseying down the mountain at her own pace, frequently to be passed by a whooping family members as they lap her for the umpteenth time.
Education
Oxford University
Oxford University degree (studied at Hertford College) in English Language and Literature, with focussed research on the works of John Donne and African American's Women's Literature.
A newsletter during a year living overseas, reflecting upon the fortunes of the wine indus...
Jo M, on why the vineyard has decided to curb the ever-increasing number of visitors comin...
Hospitality
5 Projects Completed
Working for the greater part of the past two decades in the wine and wine tourism industry, Jo has not only written extensively in the promotion of New Zealand's wine tourism destinations but has also worked closely with restaurant customers nationally and internationally in crafting and penning sales tools, winelists, staff training manuals and crib sheets for those within the hospitality industry.
Jo is just as comfortable writing *for* the hospitality as she is *about* it and, having been heavily involved in this area, is very sensitive to the differences in town and lexicon required on both sides of this ledger.
Cooking/Beverage
15 Projects Completed
Almost all of Jo's professional career has been in the world of wine / food and wine. That aside, a cookery book or food journal can often be found upon her bedside table so this is where she is in her element, writing about the world that incorporates many of her personal passions.
Jo has written extensively for the food and beverage world on a national and international level, providing marketing collateral, articles and training manuals for those within the food and wine industry and also for the consumer and the end user.
Some of Jo's early professional writing lay in the two-way (French-English) translations of wine labels and brochures which gave her a very early appreciation of the fine line that must be tread when conveying the producer and client's message against how best to convey this in honest and representative terms that will engage the reader.
Sales
30 Projects Completed
Jo has been solely responsible for the establishing and growing of a committed client database through loyalty programmes which run concurrently with seasonal newsletters, Direct feedback from the clients has revealed that her writing is as much a driving force in keeping them involved in these programmes as the products themselves! Newsletters receive a gratifying response both in terms of the pleasure that the recipients seem to derive from them but, more importantly, also in terms of the subsequent sales and uptakes.
Through building up a committed network of clients through her writing and communication, Jo has grown this previously undeveloped sector to significant levels and, in the process, has been able easily to increase individual sales order through engagement rather than going in for the "hard sell".
The greatest compliment paid on this front was when a client regrettably told Jo he was no longer in a financial position to continue to partake in the loyalty programme but asked earnestly to be kept on the database in order to continue to receive her newsletters
Newsletter Content
30 Projects Completed
For the past 18 years, Jo has been solely responsible for the establishing, building and maintaining of a private client base and loyalty programme whose purchasing decisions are made on the back of newsletter campaigns.
Jo believes strongly in the importance of establishing long term connections and brand loyalty through the telling of stories and the art of persuasion over a hard and fast sell. A proven track record in this has resulted in year-on-year growth in this sector and friendships that have been formed over the receipt and follow up of newsletters. Many recipients have remarked upon how much they not only enjoy but actually look forward to seeing Jo's newsletters in their inbox and how refreshing the varied content is.
Jo will always look for the relevant yet new angle for sales approaches and veer away from the hackneyed and well worn routes to ensure a freshness of tone and maximum engagement while ensuring the goal and purpose of the newsletter is not just reached but with exceeded expectations
