Working at QuickBooks

As a Content Designer, I collaborate closely with my visual design partner, dedicated marketers, product designers, UX product writers, and research and data specialists. We executed on approximately 10 projects per quarter.

A Unique Configuration
The Marketing Content Design Team consisted of 11 Content Designers each assigned to a segment of the business: A QuickBooks consumer product. This configuration was extremely beneficial as Content Designers could give feedback on work from an outside vantage point.

Plus, the presenting Content Designer, had the chance to explain in depth their approach, efforts, research, trials, errors, and their final content.

Request:
Create a more dynamic, engaging, and customer-acquiring landing page that ladders up to Q4 big bets.

Objectives:
• Bring V&T, messaging, value prop, and messaging hierarchy up to date
• Ensure all messaging be easily adjustable for approaching POS V19 launch
• Research, manage, and feature top valuable POS features
• Bring surprise & delight while instilling confidence in POS system
• Showcase customer’s business growth potential with POS

Execution:
• The main selling points for the QuickBooks POS system were seamless online and in-store syncing. We led with this value, alluding to it in the hero and expanding in the subhead.

• A big issue was including all the value props our stakeholders wanted. We solved for this with a tertiary nav-bar below the hero, making the page easy to navigate, while keeping the best-selling points high. This nav-bar also gave us an opportunity foreshadow what was to be expanded on throughout the page.

• Before getting started, I created an extensive messaging hierarchy paired with specific value props to keep the messaging narrative and flow synced with what the research dictated.

• My partner and visual designer outlined a visual pivot for the page. We worked together and collaborated simultaneously so our efforts would sync with our decided upon narrative and objective: To tell a cohesive story instilling confidence that this POS was the best possible product for each business.

Project request:
A new and exciting product, the GoPayment app gives customers the freedom to execute business anywhere—all from their phone. With GoPayment, they can:

• Access to up-to-date business figures
• Send invoices and receive payments
• Get paid without invoices
• Track deposits, cash flow, and inventory

Objectives:
GoPayment was made for all QuickBooks customers. This email needed to impact all small and mid-sized business.

Execution:
We opted for feature-rich content, addressing more overarching themes like “new”, “more freedom”, “faster”, and “easier” high up. Then, taking a journalistic approach, backed up our claims with specifics throughout the emails.

Our stakeholders pushed hard to include more live-action shots of customers “being mobile” and “doing business on the go.” We suggested that since this is a new product—one customers would be seeing on their mobile devices—screenshots of the product on mobile devices were imperative to include. We also utilized buttons to make the GoPayment features actionable.

Results from marketer:
“We achieved our baseline success metrics with +516 incremental unique debit cards added (~25%, vs +393 defined as success) and +414 incremental unique merchants transacting (~+30%, vs +380 defined as success). The email also performed well with a 7-day 37.5% open rate and a 4.0% CTR.”

Request:
Create the first email in a series to reach customers qualified for our Instant Deposit product. Maximize sign-ups to target for follow up email series pushing usage.

Objectives:
• Showcase uses that are universal to all small businesses
• Instill exclusivity
• Champion simplicity of sign up, use, and management
• Ensure customers that Instant Deposit is a necessity for continued growth

Execution:
• With the main goal of gaining Instant Deposit sign-ups, I and my visual-design partner approached this email as a “steps narrative”: Showing value high in the subject line, preheader, and hero, followed by explaining the ease of signing up in module 1. Module 2 speaks to the customer monetary and time value, calling out holidays and weekend usage. And module 3 speaks to the products potential to help with growth.

• As this was a new product, I worked with my marketing stakeholders and wrote a messaging hierarchy. This cut our review process time almost in half as our final product was almost exactly what our stakeholders were expecting.

• I collaborated with my partner to develop a dynamic image narrative to complement and reflect my messaging approach. An almost didactic flow was created that led readers through the process they were about to enter and eased their suspicions about clicking into the email.

Results:
Over 40% open rate and 25% conversion and sign up rate

From Marketer:
”The open and click rates for both emails were very impressive, high than our average rates. And the other very impressive things is the fact that only one person unsubscribed between the two emails! That shows messaging and audience are on point.”

Request:
QuickBooks is made for small businesses. So when COVID hit, we introduced multiple savings options for QuickBooks customers. This savings opportunity was waiving the 1% fee for using our Instant Deposit option.

My visual design partner and I crafted an email to inform customers of this now free service.

Objectives:
• Convey empathy and help small businesses using Instant Deposit by removing the 1% QuickBooks fee
• Reiterate Instant Deposit value props
• Be direct and concise while instilling surprise & delight during a trying time for small businesses

Execution:
• Small businesses were scrambling and scared at this time, so this email needed to be concise and helpful right from the start.
• We put the discount and why it was being given (COVID) in the subject line and preheader
• In the hero, we expanded on QuickBooks desire to help with the COVID-specific heart image and using the “…on us…” language to ensure QuickBooks was there to support small businesses during the pandemic.
• We wrapped the email with a brief and actionable directive and three links to other QuickBooks pandemic resources.

Project request:
The QuickBooks Self-Employed segment helps business owners with 1-50 employes—a great mix of B2B and B2C comms. As construction companies are a large segment of QB Self-Employed customers, we needed a highly targeted narrative speaking to a very specialized industry.

Objectives:
With so many specific actions within the email, leading customers to a generic landing page would halt in the transactional narrative. My visual designer and I successfully pitched developers and marketers to provide individualized portals for each of the three CTAs in this email — a big ask.

Execution:
My visual designer and I researched Follow Me Homes (direct interviews with QB customers in the construction business), to learn what they valued most. Our findings are reflected in the hierarchy we chose for this email: Easier invoicing, simplicity in picking and setting up contractors, and tracking and invoicing spending.

With a journalistic approach, we created a complementary flow to how a construction business views the day-to-day on the job needs, quarterly ramifications, and long term outlook.

Results:
Still measuring final results and metrics.