Modern Mix Marketing’s 2020 Year in Review
Beginning our second full year of business, Modern Mix Marketing already had a small roster of retainer clients to start the year with — with room for more.
Whereas in 2019 I personally focused on “opportunity,” in 2020 it was all about “balance.” I wanted to develop the confidence to enjoy and appreciate both the slow and busy times while getting comfortable with the natural ebbs and flows of freelance life.
Looking back now, I believe it was this ability to be adaptable that helped me, our clients, and my business get through the uncertainties of the unforgettable pandemic that defined our year.
Clients we had the joy of working with in 2020
Amoda, NENA Skincare, Outshinery, MartketBranding, A Bread Affair, Naked Snacks, Rumble Boxing (via Go2Ventures), Adina Dragasanu PREC, Seed & Stone, We Love Van, We Love SF, BC Living, GLACYO, Urology Institute of Auckland, Matter (via Catapult Strategy), VITALL (via Duarte Group), Aragon Properties.
January 2020
We started the year off with three retainer social media clients: NENA Skincare, Outshinery, and Martket Branding. In January, we also started up an influencer outreach campaign with Amoda. We worked with 20 plus influencers to coordinate the delivery of product samples of Amoda’s new superfood latte mixes.
February 2020
In February, we added Naked Snacks and A Bread Affair to our roster of clients. I was excited because, in addition to social media management for these well-loved Vancouver-based businesses, both required content creation and photography and I was able to find yet another opportunity to work together with Jana Josue, my go-to photographer and now a solid presence on the Modern Mix Marketing team.
Also in February, a new kickboxing-inspired fitness studio named Rumble Boxing was opening in Yaletown and we helped with setting up the social media strategy and direction for their expansion to Vancouver from Calgary.
March 2020
When COVID-19 arrived in Vancouver, our city locked down and life as we knew it completely changed.
Every day I was holding my breath, knowing that our own viability as a business depended on how our clients were adapting their business in a national pandemic.
Our own business focus shifted to LOYALTY
This was not the time to pursue new clients. We needed to stick with the ones we had and be there to support them in any way we could. Sometimes this meant working extra hours, sometimes this meant shifting timelines, sometimes this meant working harder for less. But we were there for each and every one of our clients when they needed us, always on standby and ready to help in any way we could.
As we remained loyal, some of our clients even added to our scope of work!
Naked Snacks doubled down on digital marketing and signed us on for email marketing.
Adina Dragasanu (real estate agent), who we had worked with for social media strategy in 2019, was looking for copywriting help as she took this temporary downtime to work on her website.
Martket Branding — busy as ever producing PPE equipment and other safety products — hired us to help them apply for promotional marketing awards. They ended up winning a Silver Award in the Technology Programs category!
We also participated in NENA Skincare’s “hand in hand” campaign, helping drop off Hand Sanitizers to local organizations that support front line workers and other vulnerable members of our society.
April to June 2020
Spring and summer continued on with our retainer clients and a few additional marketing projects including:
Photoshoot with Seed and Stone, a cannabis retail shop in Chilliwack.
Photography for BC Living’s Simply Beautiful and Extraordinary Man subscription boxes.
Website copywriting for The Urology Institute of Auckland.
July 2020
In July, Naked Snacks grew to the point where they could hire their very own full-time marketing and social media coordinator! They’ve kept Modern Mix Marketing on for photography and together we’ve staged approximately five photo sessions throughout the year, including the launch photography for their re-brand to Laid Back Snacks.
August 2020
In August, we started working with the product brand We Love Van for photography, social media, and influencer outreach. We wanted to produce content that would showcase a vibrant and colourful life in Vancouver, while inspiring their audience to show their local pride through We Love Van products.
September to October 2020
In the fall, we started working with three new clients:
GLACYO, a new skincare brand, for social media marketing in their “pre-launch” phase
VITALL, in the medical-tech industry, for blog post writing. Here are some articles we contributed to their blog:
MATTER Interiors, a luxury architecture and design firm in Aspen, Colorado, for social media marketing
November to December 2020
Last, but not least, to wrap up the year I was hired to help local developer Aragon Properties decorate two of their display homes with a locally-minded holiday theme at their Light House development in New Westminister.
Home decor is not my typical scope of work, but that’s kind of what made it so fun! Between my known love for supporting local, and the connection of personally living in an Aragon home, I was so excited for this opportunity when it came my way. And thanks to the work of their PR agency, Talk Shop Media, both homes decorated were featured in The Vancouver Sun.
“Both homes have been injected with plenty of greenery in the form of wreaths, garlands and floral centrepieces. Choot made it her mission to source locally for the decorations, turning to Canadian department stores for the larger items, and to smaller New Westminster shops for the finishing touches.”
That’s A Wrap
Modern Mix Marketing had a full and busy year. I am really grateful for the opportunities that came our way: the businesses that gave us a chance, the trust they’ve put into us, and the ones who stuck around even when the going got tough in a global pandemic.
I am proud of the work we accomplished together with our clients, and proud of our clients for shifting, adapting, and growing in what was a very challenging year for some.
That’s a wrap, 2020! We can’t wait to see what 2021 will bring.