In September 2011, I wrote and edited six articles for the first email newsletter for Jim’s Group, one of the largest franchises in Australia, encompassing a variety of service industries from landscaping to building inspections and from bookkeeping to computer assistance.
I was given a list of franchise divisions to include in the newsletter by the CEO; in this case, the divisions were Building Inspections, Computer Services, Pest Control, Pool Care, and Test and Tag. I then contacted the head of each franchise division to discuss what aspect of their business they would like to have highlighted in the newsletter.
I received information from the franchise divisions—in some cases as rough story drafts and in others as just a list of bullet points—and I was also provided with a recent press release on a new Neighborhood Watch program Jim’s Group had recently implemented.
I edited the Neighborhood Watch piece and featured it as the newsletter’s lead story. I also wrote a story with tips for home buyers on possible trouble signs to look out for when they’re examining a home, and I rewrote and expanded a story on a donation Jim’s Computer Services made to support Australians with Disabilities. In addition, I edited stories on pests to watch out for that spring and summer across the country, tips on preparing your pool for the summer, and the risk of electric shock in the home. I wrote and edited all of the newsletter articles according to Oxford Style guidelines.
Once I completed drafts of all the articles, I submitted them to the franchise divisions and to the CEO of Jim’s Group for their approval. I finalized all the stories in September, and the complete email newsletter was sent to approximately 240,000 Jim’s Group customers in October 2011.
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