Copywriter, Marketing Communications Manager

• May 2022 - Present

Freelance copywriter & marketing communications manager

• Nov 2021 - May 2022

Helping businesses like yours find the right words for your marketing materials, so that customers choose you and stay with you. Hazel Izzett offers freelance copywriting and marketing communication campaign management services, so you can focus on the rest of your business priorities. Helping businesses like yours find the right words for your marketing materials, so that customers choose you and stay with you. Hazel Izzett offers freelance copywriting and marketing communication campaign management services, so you can focus on the rest of your business priorities.

Brand, Marketing & Communications Manager

• Mar 2019 - Jun 2021

Allia C&C is a leading expert in socially responsible finance - supporting a range of impact organisations from charities through to businesses that act responsibly, and facilitating their access to optimal funding from investors who are interested in creating impact. Owned the Allia C&C brand (previously Allia Impact Finance) with a view to improving brand awareness - including the rebrand to Allia C&C in January 2019 following the acquisition of a London-based fixed income broker (City & Continental) and becoming a new legal entity. The City & Continental brand was subsequently also owned and redeveloped. The rebrand involved creating new logos and colour palette/guidelines for both brands; updating stationery and templates; developing new messaging regarding the new service/product offering; setting up and developing content for brand-new websites for both brands and maintaining these; developing new sales materials; reviewing processes and documentation; rebranding previous but relevant Allia Impact Finance documentation; contacting all clients and partners about the acquisition and rebrand through email; delivering internal communications regarding the changes to staff. Created a marketing plan for each core segment/audience, planning the marketing campaigns required at the appropriate times during the year – incorporating the channels to be utilised and key messaging. Developed and provided copywriting for campaign materials such as press adverts, mailings, emails, leaflets, event stands – working with a creative agency to deliver this. Managed the booking of events, including attending where appropriate. Delivered communications relating to when a bond has been issued – including press releases, uploading news articles to the website and social channels, email communications to clients and prospects, and creating case studies.

Brand, Marketing & Communications Manager - Allia Impact Finance

• Jun 2018 - Feb 2019

Allia Impact Finance connects charities and social enterprises with investors looking for impact, in order to facilitate their funding solutions. Owned the Allia Impact Finance brand with a view to improving awareness. Enhanced the messaging and communication of the company’s services and product offerings through effective copywriting across channels (press, PR, email, socials, sales support, event collateral, etc) while looking at ways to engage with the core audiences. Planned, managed and developed marketing campaigns and organised event bookings. Led the marketing planning and execution for the change in legal entity following the acquisition of a London-based fixed income broker (City & Continental), including the subsequent rebrand to Allia C&C.

Communications & Planning Manager

• Jun 2015 - Jan 2018

Bennetts is a leading motorbike insurer (a trading name of Saga Services). Managed the Bennetts brand through monitoring marketing activity and creative. This included finalising the new brand guidelines and delivering the roll-out of new branding in November 2015; creating a Colleague Handbook; developing office wall art that encapsulated key brand and business messages; sourcing merchandise and clothing. Provided copywriting expertise to the business and colleagues, ensuring the brand tone of voice was reflected in all activity. Writing customer communications covering all aspects from acquisition marketing to existing customer rewards/retention, and from regulatory information through to incident solutions. These communications were across different channels including print, press, email, SMS and web, and often within tight timescales. Led the internal communications for the business, through developing and implementing a new monthly newsletter; managing content for the intranet site; desktop backgrounds; posters; facilitating the annual colleague ‘Get Together’; and identifying ideas for staff engagement, charitable activity and social events – ensuring these were effectively communicated. Established an overarching Marketing Plan, covering all marketing activity and segments to enable greater oversight of activity, which in turn enabled efficiencies to be gained and ensured alignment and integration across channels. Owned the automated customer documentation, in terms of content and customer journey and being the key point of contact for Product, Regulatory and Compliance changes. This also included facilitating the move of the automated letters to a new platform and new mailing house, and managing the ongoing relationship with the mailing house. Developed and delivered fully integrated brand campaigns and the plans for this. Developed creative and marketing collateral for exhibitions and events, such as Motorcycle Live at the NEC.

Campaign Manger - Direct Marketing

• Aug 2010 - Jun 2015

Oversaw the delivery of the high-value, multi-product and multi-brand Proactive Customer Contact Plan, covering cross-sell mailings to the existing customer base and acquisition activity. This included copywriting, creative development and print/production.Developed a Proactive DM Vision to drive more value from marketing mailings through a test and learn cycle of reviewing activity and identifying new opportunities/improvements.Reviewed the teams’ processes and procedures in line with Conduct Risk and to make improvements to reduce risk and improve results.Worked cross-functionally up to senior stakeholder level on a variety of strategic projects, such as leading the large, complex and high profile Chelsea Building Society integration customer communications project.Identified process and cost efficiencies with suppliers, such as implementing the use of a Downstream Access postage provider which led to a cost saving of over £100k through reduced postage costs and VAT savings.Led the development of brand guidelines for marketing mailings as part of the wider brand work for both Yorkshire Building Society and Chelsea Building Society.Successfully integrated additional brands, such as Norwich & Peterborough Building Society and Chelsea Building Society, to sit alongside our existing Yorkshire Building Society mailings to drive cost and resource efficiencies.Owned the telephone account opening fulfilment activity, including leading the launch of this facility to the Chelsea Building Society brand.Built key relationships with the internal Studio and external creative agencies, as well as mailing houses to develop and deliver mailings effectively.Managed and developed the ‘Assistant Campaign Manager – Direct Marketing’ to become an effective team member.

Assistant Campaign Manager - Direct Marketing

• Sep 2005 - Jul 2010

Full ownership for the development and delivery of allocated mailings, including proactive mailings across a range of product areas and statutory/maturity communications such as the Barnsley Building Society integration mailings. This involved copy writing, creative development and print/production.Trialled a new end-to-end approach which involved developing and delivering mailings from start to finish (previously development and production were split between two people). This approach was subsequently adopted within the Direct Marketing team.Undertook a best practice review of mailings and developed creative guidelines to bring consistency across the suite of mailings. This also included reviewing pack formats to find cost efficiencies and VAT savings.Worked with Royal Mail to identify postage cost savings through implementing Advertising and Sustainable Mail tariffs for all marketing mailings.Involved in the launch of a new Home Insurance product, leading the development of creative and content for the mailing which was rolled out to other media channels. Reviewed the Society’s operational letters to improve the content and customer experience, whilst reducing the number to avoid duplication and increase efficiency.Main day-to-day contact for the mailing house. Also worked directly with the internal Studio and external creative agencies.Owned internal communications for the Direct Marketing team, and developed an intranet site to host all mailing activity so that stakeholders across the business could view historical, current and future mailings in one central location.