Search Engine Optimization & Social Media Marketing

As a member of the editorial staff at MassLive.com, I helped us continuously break website traffic and page view records on the premise of optimizing each and every piece of content for search success.

At amateurgolf.com, in an attempt to push site traffic and membership to the next level, I instituted major SEO practices in content creation, including education of editorial staff. Additionally, I oversaw the redesign and optimization of backend metadata to ensure all search engines were appropriately indexing.

Additionally, SEO has been a key factor in driving sales to clients of Larsen Creative Media. Localized SEO, through organic and paid means, has led to improved presences for clients and renewals in marketing and web services.

Social Media has also become a favorable tool to content creators in all forms. The ability to promote work through Facebook, Twitter, Google + and other social media environments allows for efficient marketing and user engagement. In addition to quarterbacking social media campaigns on a daily basis, I’ve also had the opportunity to lead long-term efforts into growing social media communities with the ultimate goal of fostering worthwhile engagement with end users during my posts at MassLive.com, amateurgolf.com, Back9Network and Arccos Golf.

Website Design & Maintenance

Since launching Larsen Creative Media in 2010, I’ve successfully built, maintained and marketed numerous websites for clients across many industries. To review some of my work, which has included all tasks from concept to launch, including server management, site buildout, WordPress template and theme HTML & PHP customization and ongoing maintenance, visit the links below:

First Time Father Project: http://firsttimefatherproject.com

Content Game Plan: http://contentgameplan.com

Arccos Golf Blog: http://blog.arccosgolf.com

Well Water Connection: http://wellwaterconnection.com

Klickers Photography Bootcamp: http://klickers.denisesmithphotography.com

 

 

Management Experience

Management: In various posts, I’ve had the opportunity to directly manage staff members.

ESPN Digital Media: Managed daily staff of up to six content and video editors, coordinating daily coverage

CoachesAid.com: Managed staff of five full-time editors and large stable of freelance writerrs, photographers and other contributors

MassLive.com: Managed office’s internship department, coordinating offseason planning of programs, semester-long projects, daily coverage schedule and more. Also managed staff of up to five contractors. Through affiliation with sister newspaper, I managed the online content scheduling and production of large sports staff.

amateurgolf.com: Managed website’s content and content staff, ran monthly conference calls and worked hand-in-hand with site’s owner and founder on various projects. Additionally managed staff of remote contributors, interns and brand evangelists.

Back9Network: Led staff of 10 as Senior Editor, Managing Editor and Director of Digital Media.

Multimedia Storytelling

Video: Capable on most digital formats, including digital video, digital video to tape, Flip Cam and others. Editing capabilities, include Final Cut, Adobe Premiere, Avid, Flip Share, Real Player, Quicktime, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker.

Audio: Have put together successful podcast shows in many formats and capacities; comfortable with digital recording equipment, USB microphones, XLR microphones, pre-amplifiers, Skype, Google Voice, call recording. Software capabilities include, Audacity, Pro Tools and other linear editing systems. Have also gained experience live streaming video with accompanying audio from events.

Digital Photography: Adept at shooting digital photos on point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras. Advanced knowledge of photo editing programs like Adobe Photoshop.

Online Community Engagement

In many of my positions, I’ve had the opportunity to lead our community engagement. Engaging with users is perhaps the most important task an online news and information website can take on.

amateurgolf.com: As Managing Editor, I lead the Member Staff Program, which first and foremost, serves as the site’s eyes and ears on the ground. The members that make up the group serve as ambassadors of the website and assist in the curation of content. I interacted with the group regularly and utilize their ideas, thoughts, concerns and creativity to add quality, user-driven content to the site.

MassLive.com: I served as the site’s community producer and took the lead on large community-oriented projects. Much content is geared towards user interactivity and I’ve helped initiate user engagement through polls, comments, specialty content, live chats, forums and more.

Arccos Golf: I’m currently tasked with growing the readership, community engagement and mass of followers across all social platforms with the growing startup.

Online Writing Style: ‘Up All Night’

It’s a familiar feeling for any guy — married or single. You’re lost in the supermarket with no clue where to go.

But only dads — and new dads, in particular — know the true horror the supermarket can bring on a weekday morning.

The cheese is in multiple places, there are hordes of people getting in your way and it just feels so big. The old lady threatens as she reaches for your child’s adorable cheeks.

A slight exaggeration? To some, perhaps. But not to us dads who sympathized with Chris Brinkley, played by Will Arnett, in Wednesday’s pilot episode of NBC’s new sitcom, ‘Up All Night.’

See more here >>

Content Strategy, Planning & Budgeting

In numerous positions, I’ve had the opportunity to coordinate content budgets and manage staff. As a leader and as part of a team, I’ve helped improve traffic numbers and raise brand awareness through an organized and online-friendly approach to content.

Arccos Golf

I am proud to have instituted a content marketing strategy devised to attract, engage, convert and retain customers. Through knowledgeable and insightful content — published strategically — we’ve been able to grow the brand, improve sales and help position Arccos as the leader in the golf tech category.

Back9Network

As senior editor, managing editor and, ultimately, Director of Digital Media, I had the opportunity to craft an ever-changing but always growing content strategy geared towards brand awareness and loyalty as well as being able to compete with limited budget in a crowded golf media market.

MassLive.com

The Spalding Hoophall Classic takes place in Springfield, Mass. Through my posts at MassLive.com and CoachesAid.com, I had the opportunity of becoming a staple of the event’s coverage, planning and promotion.

Overall, coverage has included:

Content budget creation: Extensive previews, game stories, feature stories on top players, teams in nation; production and promotion of All-Tournament teams, interacting with and working alongside media members from many national publications. Budget creation entailed scheduling of and execution from up to 10 staff members and contract workers.

Multimedia: Highlight videos and interviews, featured preview and wrap-up podcasts, photo galleries and live audio broadcasts, which I’ve planned, coordinated, produced and been featured in.

Content Geared to Search: With the top players and teams across the country, including many who will be high-level NCAA and NBA players, the demand is high. Player and college recruiting-specific content, done with SEO-techniques in mind, have made coverage into a true traffic winner.

CoachesAid.com

As New England Coordinator for CoachesAid.com, I coordinated content, marketing and freelance budgets for six states.

Content: Working with each state’s content coordinator, we planned, budgeted and published quality written and multimedia content for state-specific daily magazine sites.

Marketing: Despite low marketing budgets, I oversaw the execution of major social media and grass-roots marketing campaigns to get the new websites into the browsers of target users. I planned a state-wide media day, engaging covered teams and coaches while further raising brand awareness. I also visited numerous events, using the opportunity to talk with target audience members and users about the appeal of the site.

AmateurGolf.com

As Website Content Manager, I had the opportunity to handle all content budgeting and planning, manage content staff members and steer the direction of the website as a whole, including content, marketing and sponsorships.

Content: Major content includes daily/nightly coverage of live events, player/member profiles, equipment reviews and sponsor news

Marketing: I took the lead on updating the site’s new media kit, including re-write, facts, images and more.

Social Media Promotion & Marketing: I’ve also spearheaded the site’s approach to social media marketing, including Facebook and Twitter. Also, I coordinated the Player Staff Program, which consists of a group of members that serve as ambassadors for amateurgolf.com nationally. 

Longform Writing Style: ‘A Story of Survival’

SPRINGFIELD – Fate, perhaps.

Divine intervention, maybe.

Whatever you call it, it was necessary.

Springfield Central football coach Valdamar T. Brower knows that much.

“It,” of course, is the link between the coach and one of his players. This link, though, goes beyond what the normal coach-player relationship consists of. This is a story of coincidence.

A story of love.

A story of survival.

When Brower, a former Northampton High School football star who went on to an All-American career at the University of Massachusetts, started as a teacher’s assistant at Central, he attended a parent-teacher conference. Of the many parents and legal guardians present that night, two people stood out to him. They spoke of Nate Shea, then a freshman at Central.

The name stuck with Brower, but he couldn’t put it together. It wasn’t until he spoke with his sister that he realized: Shea, along with his brother and sister, had lived with Brower’s family in Northampton when he was a teenager.

You see, Brower’s family housed many foster children through the years. The coach can remember playing basketball with Nate’s older brother, Shawn. Nate was just a baby when the three siblings lived with the Browers.

This fairytale story, however, took anything but a positive turn.

UMass lacrosse preview for InsideLacrosse.com

I recently began writing for InsideLacrosse.com on a freelance basis. My first piece was a preview on the 2011 UMass lacrosse team.

UMass head coach Greg Cannella believes that regardless of Division, leadership is the key for any lacrosse team.

As Cannella’s Minutemen (ranked No. 15 in the Face-Off Yearbook) begin final preparations for their Feb. 12 season opener against Army, that theme continues to ring true in Amherst.

“Leadership is the key, every single year,” said Cannella, whose team is also ranked No. 16 in the USILA Division I Coaches Poll released Monday. “And it’s a special type of leadership that makes the difference.”

Following a season in which the UMass lacrosse team saw plenty of time ranked in theInside Lacrosse Top 20 before sputtering to a final 8-6 record, leadership, according to Cannella, will be the key factor in getting the Minutemen over the hump this season.

Continue reading story on InsideLacrosse.com >>

Larsen Creative Media gets off the ground

I wanted to let everyone know that I’ve recently launched my own web design and hosting service. My goal is to appeal to small businesses and organizations to help create or improve their presence on the web in a number of ways.

Feel free to check out my web site here: http://larsencreativemedia.com.

I just finished my first two projects and and can’t wait to get things moving forward even more. You can view them both here:

Wmass Storm AAU Baseball
Time Savers Laundry Services, Inc.

I have a handful of projects lined up for the coming weeks, but feel free to suggest me to anyone you know looking for a service similar to mine. I’ll promise to be much more affordable than a big web design company!

Thanks so much to everyone for the continued support.