Melisse
Hinkle
LOmbard

EXPERIENCE

President & Managing Director, Evergreen Media, 11/22-Present

Evergreen Media creates strategies, content, and tools built for the media marketing movement.

Services include:

• Writing

• Editing

• Content strategy development

• Creation of editorial tools and templates (or a full editorial playbook)

• Help remixing, refreshing, and/or repurposing existing content

• Support on special projects that require content marketing expertise

Senior Managing Editor, Hopin, 06/21-07/22

Responsibilities include:

• Editorial strategy and execution, with a focus on developing a library of product-agnostic, keyword-led educational content

• Managing editorial production

• Developing, maintaining, and ensuring adherence to Hopin’s editorial quality standards

• Reviewing and approving briefs and outlines

• Editing all editorial content

• Partnering with revenue marketing, customer success, sales, customer marketing, product marketing, and the rest of the brand marketing team to gather and analyze content inputs, plan content, and ensure impactful content distribution

• Managing and mentoring freelance writers

Key highlights (7-month period):

• 530+% increase in new users to the Hopin blog

• 1,570% increase in non-branded clicks from organic search to the Hopin blog

• Average ranking on Google improved by 22 positions

• 40% compound monthly growth rate of users from organic search

Director of Content and Social Media, EF Educational Tours, EF Education First, 04/20-05/21

Responsible for EF Educational Tours’ editorial and organic social media content strategy and execution, including:

• Oversight of our educational travel blog as a tool to drive acquisition (primarily via organic traffic)

• Planning, production and delivery of sales enablement content

• Developing organic content to drive brand and product awareness, engagement and trust

• Partnering with stakeholders across SEO, PR, customer service, digital marketing, creative, email marketing, product development, etc., to align content with business objectives

• Managing two full-time direct reports and a co-op

Key highlights:

• Drove negative sentiment down by 43 percentage points across inbound social media comments (2020)

• Oversaw a 29% year-over-year increase in organic search traffic to the EF Educational Tours blog with the implementation of a revised SEO-led editorial strategy (2019 to 2020)

• Member of the team’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging task force

Director of Brand Content, EF Education First, 10/18-04/20

• Responsible for growing the EF Education First brand in North America via editorial content as well as organic and paid social media activity.

• Developed and implemented a digital brand content strategy to grow awareness of, engagement with and preference for the EF brand and products

• Partnered with stakeholders to build central digital content infrastructure and align content activities across EF’s North American business

• Managed one full-time direct report, freelancers and interns

Key highlights:

• Oversaw a 600% year-over-year increase in social media impressions and a 70% year-over-year increase in unique social media engagements (2018 to 2019)

Content Director, KAYAK, 9/17-8/18

• Built and led KAYAK’s European content team across four brands, 14 markets and 13 languages

• Developed and implemented a full-funnel, cross-brand content strategy intended to grow awareness, engagement, consideration, conversion and preference for KAYAK brands and products in Europe

• Partnered with wider marketing team (SEO, PR, offline, email marketing, paid social, product, etc.) to align content activities

• Managed a team of 15+ full-time content leads, producers, editors and coordinators

Key highlights:

• 6,500 pieces of consumer-facing content produced (2018)

• 50+% month-over-month reduction in average cost per search query against content produced (mid-2018)

Head of Content and Social Media, North America and Asia, Cheapflights, 11/14-9/17

• Developed and implemented market-specific content strategies for Cheapflights in North America and Asia

• Led content planning, production and promotion for these markets

• Partnered with SEO, PR, email marketing, product, development and commercial teams as well as external agencies to ensure all content positively impacted core business objectives

• Acted as chief spokeswoman for interviews with American and Canadian press

• Wrote for Cheapflights’ travel blogs

• Managed a team of two full-time direct reports.

Key highlights:

• Cheapflights (part of the Momondo Group) was acquired by KAYAK/Booking Holdings in 2017

• Launched three travel blogs (housed on core site domains) with editorial content also featured in Reader’s Digest, HuffPost Travel and more

• 30-40 on- and off-site content pieces produced per month

• 400+% year-over-year increase in traffic to our U.S. blog

• 700+% year-over-year increase in traffic to our Canadian blog

• Almost 75% of blog traffic was unpaid

Content Manager, U.S. and Canada, Cheapflights, 1/13-11/14

• Drove quality visits to Cheapflights.com and Cheapflights.ca via the development and execution of relevant content and social media activities

• Oversaw content planning, production and promotion for both sites

• Developed and managed social media activities and campaigns

• Managed one full-time direct report

Associate Director of Communications, Video Storytelling Teacher, The Rivers School, 7/10-12/12

• Developed marketing strategy and brand positioning

• Led successful launch of school video portal and produced all video content

• Produced copy for marketing materials

• Reported and wrote feature stories for alumni magazine

• Managed social media channels

• Launched and edited Head of School’s blog

• Taught a video storytelling elective

Online Video Reporter and Producer, United Press International, 4/08-2/10

• Reported, wrote, produced and appeared on-air in video news stories and weekly webcasts from the White House

• Managed and mentored interns

• Reported from the 2008 DNC and RNC, and from President Obama’s inauguration

• Produced and hosted an entertainment webcast featured in Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries

Nickelodeon Online Ad Sales Assistant, MTV Networks, 10/05-12/06

• Developed marketing materials for the digital sales team

• Managed advertising campaigns for key accounts

CBS Newspath Intern, CBS News, 6/04-8/04

Provider Education and Communications Intern, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, 5/03-8/03

Key Skills & Additional Experience

• Full-funnel, multi-channel digital content and social media strategy development

• Establishing, growing and managing on-site and multi-location teams of up to 15 full-time employees

• Defining team frameworks and workflows in conjunction with key stakeholders

• SEO- and PR-led editorial strategies and tactics

• Managing external freelancers and agencies

• Budget management

• Content performance analysis and reporting

• Test-and-learn approach

• Copywriting and copyediting

• Video production

• Creative direction

• Internal and external presentations and communication

• Brand building and establishing brand definition across digital content (content pillars, tone of voice, visual guidelines)

• Reporting and storytelling

• AP Style and custom style guide development

• Tech platforms and tools including Wordpress, custom content management systems, Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Falcon, Smartly, HootSuite, Final Cut Pro, 1Password, Facebook Business Manager, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google suite

• Extensive domestic and international travel (6 continents, 30+ countries, 30 states)

• Certified through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust

Myers-Briggs®: ENTP

CliftonStrengths: Strategic, Responsibility, Achiever, Futuristic, Learner

RECOGNITION

“One Step Ahead” Hopin Hero Award Nominee (based on internal nominations), 2022

Cheapflights.ca’s #ExportYourself campaign:

• Best Use of Content Marketing, Travolution Awards (2017)

• Best Social Media Content, Canadian Online Publishing Awards (2017)

• Finalist, Best Use of Facebook in Content Marketing, Content Marketing Awards (2017)

• Outstanding Online Video, Internet Advertising Competition (2017)

  Speaking experience:

• Travel Distribution Summit, North America (Eyefortravel, 2015)

• Social Media and Mobile Strategies for Travel, North America (Eyefortravel, 2015)

• Online Marketing Strategies for Travel, The Americas and the Caribbean (Eyefortravel, 2015)

  Cheapflights Above and Beyond Award Winner (based on company-wide nominations and voting), 2014

  First Place, Television News – Feature Reporting, Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts (2008)

Recommendations

ON THE SIDE…

CO-FOUNDER OF AND SINGER IN AWARD-WINNING A CAPPELLA GROUP, SOUND OFF

Education

Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

M.S. JOURNALISM
December 2007

Colby College, Waterville, Maine

B.A. ENGLISH, THEATER AND DANCE
May 2005

Contact

melisse.hinkle@gmail.com