Mark specializes in writing for the government, political, and business fields. These industries require competency in multiple disciplines, including: op-eds, white papers, press releases, social media, web copy, policy summaries, and advertising copy. In addition, Mark has done this in fields that require strict adherence to deadlines, so he has the background and discipline to meet most timelines.
Outside of politics and government, Mark enjoys hiking and running, is a knowledgeable sports fan, and is an avid reader.
Mark graduated from the University of New Hampshire, specializing in American government and history, and is in the Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society. He also served on student government, and wrote op-eds for the student newspaper.
Mark received a 3.84 GPA during his graduate studies. His master's thesis was on workforce housing in southern New Hampshire, which the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce used as part of their affordable housing initiative.
With an extensive background in politics and working with candidates for various offices, Mark is a skilled political writer. Whether needed to produce white papers, web copy, press releases, mail pieces, social media posts, policy summaries, or debate notes, Mark's work stresses positive, result-oriented approaches.
Campaigns are inherently negative. Mark's work on behalf of candidates is 100 percent positive, informational, and engages the core audience into action. Mark researches best practices for desired results, regardless of campaign tactic - door-to-door, mail, broadcast media, phone calls, or speeches.
Mark also works on behalf of non-profit organizations, using the above strategies for fund-raising pitches, lobbying pieces, and internal communications.
Mark's background is in government and politics. His bachelor's degree is in political science and his master's degree is in public administration. In the government field, Mark has worked for governors, mayors, state senators, state representatives, and members of Congress. In addition, Mark has written white papers, policy summaries, and other documents used by non-profit agencies (such as chambers of commerce) in their marketing and lobbying efforts.
In addition to his work for other governmental officials and organizations, Mark is an elected official himself, serving as his county's Register of Probate, a member of his town's Budget Committee, and an alternate member of his town's Zoning Board of Adjustment. This background gives Mark an understanding of how government works, how to write for different constituencies, and how to present information while meeting regulatory requirements.
In his work for governmental agencies, Mark has also written and done research for grant proposals.
Mark has worked for companies of various backgrounds - hoteliers, financial service companies, roofers, medical device companies, and web designers are just a few of his clients. Mark's journalist background means work is researched, concise, and meets the reading requirement of any client.
Mark spent three years as an editor and writer for a business magazine, where he wrote both long-form (2,500-plus word) and short-form (500-800 word) pieces regarding all different subjects. In addition, Mark was a writer and editor at a daily newspaper, where he was a night editor for the daily paper, and the Features Editor for the Sunday paper.
With Mark's background in both newspapers and magazines, and with more than 250 press releases and media advisories written, he knows what media outlets seek in a press release - a quick hook in the beginning, pertinent information right afterward, and quotes at the end to use in their pieces. This approach gets results, and is one Mark understands perfectly.
In addition, all press releases take SEO into account, so as to appeal to newswire aggregators.
While some contend that Facebook lags behind in terms of cutting edge social media, it is still the "top dog" in its field. With an older demographic (62-plus) becoming the platform's fastest-growing age group of users, organizations must have a robust, age-appropriate approach to Facebook. Mark understands the various ways one can target posts to specific groups and creates campaigns based on single- or multi-variable demographics.
Working as a sub-contrator for a marketing company in 2012, Mark spearheaded a campaign for a coffer roaster in Amherst, NH, which was celebrating its 10th anniversary. The company created an MVP contest for its top customers, where they competed to get the most likes from friends to win a great prize and YouTube recognition. The campaign raised "Likes" from 480 to 1,050 in one month.
Mark is well-known throughout New Hampshire for his political and business writing. As a former editor at the Portsmouth Herald and writer/editor for Business NH Magazine, Mark has extensive experience in writing articles ranging from 100 to 5,000 words. In addition, his background has made him sought after by politicians and non-profit organizations looking for journalistic caliber writing that is concise and readable for varied demographics.
Mark's process in regards to blog posts is threefold. The first is to create a cache of SEO-optimized "evergreen" posts, which provide clients with flexibility of when and what to post. Second is to limit blog post size (when possible) to 300 words or less, which allows clients to post multiple posts on a subject and provides the reader a reason to look at past blog posts.The third is to dedicate a certain amount of time each day to stay up-to-date on issues that affect Mark's clients, so as to comment on current events when necessary. This allows Mark to write timely blog posts when required.
In politics and in the non-profit world, direct mail is still a valuable resource. To reach the many people who choose not to use the Internet for their primary communications, particularly older individuals, direct mail is an effective way to get one's message across. Mark works with clients to provide clean, to-the-point letters, advertisements, and solicitation for donations that are eye-catching and clearly spell out calls-to-action.
Whether for political candidates, small businesses, or non-profit organizations, Mark writes pithy, on-point advertising copy. Despite a diverse clientele, Mark adopts to the needs of the client through opposition research, consistency of tone with a client's website and other promotional items, and communication with the client of the advertisement's objectives and target audience.
Working with politicians and business leaders, Mark writes speeches that are audience-appropriate, understands the speech-giver's approach and comfort level with public speaking, and respects the allotted time. In politics, brevity and an ability to weave facts, figures, and stories into one's speech is critical to receiving a positive audience response. Mark does that based on extensive research on demographics, setting, and time frame.
In addition, Mark writes talking points for those that would rather have cues and themes instead of a formal speech. Mark's talking points have the same amount of research on demographics, setting, and time frame as speeches.
Now more than ever, web copy must be readable while incorporating a sophisticated SEO strategy. Despite the ever-changing dynamic of search engine algorithms that reward and punish behavior, copy that "sings" and is honest with the consumer is always a best practice. Mark works with SEO specialists - or generates his own keywords lists - and incorporates them into the writing, making it seamless.
Radio advertisements demand brevity. The most effective ads drive home points in a way that does not sound forced or rushed. With 30 or 60 seconds to make the pitch, every word must count. Mark writes radio copy for clients looking to make an immediate impression. Many clients are first-time political candidates or small businesses looking to leverage limited funds for maximum gain, and by understanding the demographics and airtime of these ads, Mark is able to achieve this.