You can reinforce the craft idea subtly across the site, not just in the headline.

Example language patterns:

  • carefully crafted
  • thoughtfully built
  • shaped by experience
  • designed with care
  • practical craftsmanship
  • considered design
  • refined over time

These words signal skill and experience without sounding trendy.

Marketing Strategy & Digital Systems Consultant

That fits your background in:

  • marketing leadership
  • communications
  • WordPress development
  • systems thinking
  • complex organizations

This positioning feels much more senior than “designer.”

Mistake: No Positioning

Many portfolios make the visitor guess:

  • designer?
  • developer?
  • marketer?
  • consultant?

How to avoid it

State it clearly.

Example:

Marketing Strategy, Design & Digital Systems

This tells visitors:

  • you think strategically
  • you design
  • you build

Mistake: No Explanation of Thinking

Most portfolios show visuals but not decision-making.

Clients want to know:

  • why something was done
  • what problem was solved
  • what the outcome was

How to avoid it

Every project should include:

Challenge
Approach
Solution

Mistake: Too Many Projects

Some portfolios show 20–30 random projects.

This weakens credibility.

Clients think:

“Which ones matter?”

How to avoid it

Show 3–6 strong projects with context.

Quality > quantity.

Mistake: Weak Value Proposition

Many portfolio sites say something vague like:

“Creative solutions for modern brands.”

That means nothing.

How to avoid it

Your headline should answer:

Who you help + what problem you solve.

Example:

Helping organizations communicate clearly and build digital systems that work.

Mistake: Designing for Designers Instead of Clients

Flashy animation, complex scrolling effects, unusual navigation.

These impress other designers, but confuse clients.

Clients want:

  • clarity
  • confidence
  • easy navigation
  • credibility

How to avoid it

Ask:

Would a CEO understand this page in 10 seconds?

If not, simplify.

Clients — especially organizations like the ones you’ve worked with (agriculture, non-profits, associations, industrial sectors) — generally want sites that feel:

  • clear
  • trustworthy
  • calm
  • professional
  • easy to understand

In other words: communication-first, not animation-first.

I’m a marketing strategist, designer, and digital developer with experience across corporate, agency, and consulting environments. I help organizations improve how they communicate, strengthen their brand presence, and build digital systems that support real operational needs.

  • Navigation
  • Hero
  • Credibility strip
  • What I do
  • Featured work
  • Problem/value statement
  • Process
  • About preview
  • Career highlights
  • Testimonials or strengths
  • Final CTA

Process Section

Premium-feeling sites often show process very simply.

Heading

How I Work

Four-step layout

01 — Understand
Audience, business goals, internal workflows, and communication challenges.

02 — Clarify
Define messaging, structure, priorities, and the role the project needs to play.

03 — Design
Create clear, credible, effective creative and user experience.

04 — Build
Implement the system, website, or marketing framework in a practical way.

Value Section

This is one of the most important sections if you want to attract consulting clients and more senior roles.

Heading

Most organizations don’t need “just a website.”

Body copy

They need clearer messaging, stronger brand alignment, and digital tools that support how their organization actually works.

That’s where I come in.

My background combines marketing leadership, creative development, and WordPress implementation — allowing me to connect strategy with execution in a way that many teams struggle to do internally.

This is the kind of copy that moves you upscale.

Featured Work

This is the section that makes the site feel like a $20K agency site.

Do not use tiny portfolio thumbnails.

Use large horizontal project panels.

Heading

Selected Work

Intro

A few examples of projects involving strategy, digital systems, brand development, and marketing execution.

Then show 3 featured projects as full-width or nearly full-width rows.


Project 1

SWANA Northern Lights Chapter
Membership platform, course registration, and digital workflow system

Short description:
Designed and developed a custom WordPress platform integrating memberships, course registration, payments, and administrative workflows.

Link:
View Case Study

Visual:
Large polished screenshot/mockup of dashboard, registration pages, or branded site layout


Project 2

FP Genetics
Corporate marketing strategy and communications leadership

Short description:
Led integrated marketing initiatives across digital, print, advertising, and communications for a national agricultural organization.

Link:
View Case Study

Visual:
Campaign samples, website visuals, collateral, or branded presentation-style mockup


Project 3

Apothecare
Product concept, UX thinking, and platform architecture

Short description:
Developed a niche gift registry concept combining WordPress, WooCommerce, affiliate commerce, and user experience strategy.

Link:
View Case Study

Visual:
Refined concept screens or brand/system mockup

What I Do

This needs to feel like consulting offers, not freelancer services.

Heading

What I Help Organizations Do

Subtext

I work at the intersection of strategy, design, and technology to create practical, high-functioning marketing systems.

Three premium service cards

Marketing Strategy
Positioning, messaging, campaign planning, and brand clarity aligned with organizational goals.

Brand & Communications
Visual identity, content, creative direction, and communications that connect with the right audience.

Websites & Digital Systems
WordPress websites, registration systems, membership platforms, and digital workflows built to support real operations.

Credibility Strip

Directly below the hero.

This section should be thin, elegant, and confidence-building.

Example content

Experience across:
Agriculture
Technology
Manufacturing
Mining
Education
Non-profits

Or:

Selected experience includes:
Marketing leadership
Brand strategy
WordPress systems
Digital campaigns
Communications

Navigation

Left:
Shaynne Corbett

Right:
Work
Services
About
Resume
Contact

The Hidden Advantage You Have

Your background combines:

  • marketing leadership
  • design
  • development
  • systems architecture

That combination is extremely rare.

One Strategic Section That Could Transform Your Site

Add a section called:

Industries I've Worked In

Agriculture
Technology
Manufacturing
Mining
Education
Non-profits

This builds instant credibility.

Personal Brand Positioning (Director-Level)

Your site should position you closer to:

Director of Marketing / Digital Strategy

not

Freelance web designer


Best headline for this

Marketing Strategy, Design & Digital Systems


Personal positioning statement

Example:

I’m a marketing strategist, designer, and web developer with experience across agriculture, technology, education, and industrial sectors.

I help organizations clarify their messaging, strengthen their brands, and build digital systems that support real business goals.

Authority Signals

Add sections like:

Career Highlights

Example:

  • 30+ years marketing experience
  • Marketing Manager for national agriculture company
  • Managed $650,000 marketing budget
  • Built numerous WordPress platforms

Clear Messaging

First 5 seconds should answer:

Who are you?
What do you do?
Who do you help?

Over the past three decades I’ve worked in marketing, communications, and design roles across multiple industries including agriculture, technology, manufacturing, and education.

My background includes agency work, corporate marketing leadership, and independent consulting. I specialize in helping organizations combine strategy, design, and technology to create effective digital systems.

MY APPROACH

Row: 1 column

Headline:

My Approach


Row: 4 columns

Step modules work great here.

1 — Understand

Audience, organization, goals.

2 — Strategy

Define messaging and marketing structure.

3 — Design

Develop clear and effective creative.

4 — Build

Implement the technology.

SERVICES

Row: 3 columns

Each column = Icon + text


Marketing Strategy

Marketing planning
brand positioning
campaign strategy


Design & Branding

brand identity
graphic design
creative direction


WordPress Development

WordPress websites
membership systems
course platforms
automation workflows

PROBLEMS YOU SOLVE

This is what consultants do that designers don't.

Row: 1 column

Headline:

Problems I Help Organizations Solve


Row: 2 columns

Left column:

• Outdated websites that don't support business goals
• Marketing that lacks clear messaging or positioning
• Disconnected marketing systems
• Manual processes that should be automated

Right column:

I help organizations solve these problems by combining marketing strategy, design, and technology into integrated digital systems.

CREDIBILITY

This is where you signal experience quickly.

Row: 4 columns

Each column = Blurb module

30+ Years Experience

Marketing, communications, design, and digital strategy.

Agency + In-House

Experience working on both sides of the client relationship.

Multiple Industries

Agriculture, technology, mining, manufacturing, education.

Strategy + Execution

From high-level marketing strategy to technical implementation.

Services

Marketing Strategy

Marketing plans
brand positioning
campaign strategy


WordPress Systems

membership sites
course platforms
WooCommerce
automation workflows


Brand & Creative

brand identity
graphic design
marketing materials

Selected Work

Then show large project previews.

Example:


SWANA Northern Lights
Membership & Training Platform

Custom WordPress system integrating course registration, membership management, and automated workflows.

[View Case Study]

My Approach

  1. Understand the organization and audience
  2. Define clear messaging and strategy
  3. Design the solution
  4. Implement the technology

Problems I Help Organizations Solve

  • Outdated or ineffective websites
  • Confusing messaging or brand positioning
  • Disconnected marketing systems
  • Manual administrative processes that should be automated


Then show how you solve them.

Career Timeline

Recruiters scan sites in 15–20 seconds.

A quick career timeline dramatically increases credibility.

Example:

Career Timeline

Marketing Manager
FP Genetics
2020–2024

Marketing & Communications Consultant
Independent
2015–2020

Creative & Marketing Roles
Agency and Corporate Positions
1995–2015

Measurable Results

Right now your experience sounds good, but results make it stronger.

Example:

Instead of:

Built a registration system.

Write:

Developed a WordPress-based course registration platform that reduced manual registration administration and streamlined payment processing.

For FP Genetics:

Managed a $650,000 annual marketing budget across print, digital, and broadcast channels.

Numbers = credibility.

I Help Organizations Solve

  • Outdated or ineffective websites
  • Confusing messaging or brand positioning
  • Disconnected marketing systems
  • Manual administrative processes that should be automated

Clear Role Definition in Projects

Recruiters want to quickly understand what YOU did vs what a team did.

Example structure:

Project: SWANA Northern Lights Website
Role: Web Architecture, UX Design, WordPress Development

Responsibilities

  • System architecture
  • UX design
  • WordPress development
  • Plugin configuration
  • Workflow automation

Strategic Tip

Your portfolio should position you as:

Marketing Strategist who designs and builds digital system

Career Highlights

  • 30+ years in marketing, communications, and design
  • Marketing Manager for a national agricultural company
  • Managed $650,000 annual marketing budget
  • Designed and developed numerous WordPress platforms
  • Experience across agriculture, technology, manufacturing, mining, and education sectors

Freelance Positioning Strategy

Your portfolio should position you for consulting-level work, not just design gigs.

Three services to emphasize:

Marketing Strategy Consulting

Marketing plans
brand strategy
campaign development


WordPress Systems

membership sites
course platforms
WooCommerce
automation workflows


Brand & Communications

brand identity
creative direction
marketing materials

About Page

Your about page should be more narrative than resume.

Example:

About

My career has always lived at the intersection of communication, design, and technology.

Over the past three decades I’ve worked in agency environments, corporate marketing roles, and independent consulting — helping organizations communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively.

My experience spans multiple industries including agriculture, technology, manufacturing, mining, and education. Across these sectors I’ve worked on everything from brand development and advertising campaigns to website architecture and digital marketing systems.

Most recently I served as Marketing Manager for FP Genetics, where I worked closely with the executive team on corporate marketing strategy and communications initiatives.

In addition to marketing leadership roles, I also design and develop WordPress websites and digital platforms, allowing me to bridge the gap between strategy and implementation.

Case Study 1

SWANA Northern Lights Chapter

Project Overview

The SWANA Northern Lights Chapter required a modern website capable of managing memberships, course registrations, and event payments while reducing manual administrative work.

Challenge

The organization previously relied on manual registration processes and disconnected systems that made managing training programs difficult.

Solution

Developed a custom WordPress platform integrating:

  • MemberPress membership management
  • Gravity Forms course registration
  • Stripe payment processing
  • automated workflows for registrations and confirmations

Key Features

  • training registration system
  • automated payment processing
  • membership management
  • event management tools
  • streamlined administrative workflows

Result

The platform simplified the registration process, reduced manual administrative tasks, and provided the organization with a scalable digital system.


Case Study 2

FP Genetics

Project Overview

FP Genetics is a Canadian certified seed company requiring coordinated marketing, communications, and brand development across multiple channels.

Role

Marketing Manager

Responsibilities

  • corporate marketing strategy
  • advertising campaign development
  • digital marketing management
  • website development oversight
  • social media and content strategy

Impact

Managed an annual marketing budget of approximately $650,000, coordinating integrated campaigns across print, digital advertising, radio, and outdoor media.


Case Study 3

Apothecare Gift Registry

Project Overview

Apothecare is a concept platform designed to modernize the traditional gift registry by allowing users to curate products from multiple online sources.

Concept

Create a flexible gift registry platform where users could:

  • create personal registries
  • share lists with friends and family
  • link to products via affiliate commerce

Implementation

Built using:

  • WordPress
  • WooCommerce
  • Amazon affiliate integrations

Key Challenge

Synchronizing registry purchases across third-party platforms while maintaining a seamless user experience.

CONTACT

Headline:

Let's Work Together

Text:

If you're looking for help with marketing strategy, design, or web development, I’d be happy to connect.

Buttons:

Contact Me
Download Resume

SKILLS

Four columns

Marketing Strategy
Digital Marketing
Graphic Design
WordPress Development

MY APPROACH

Headline:

Strategy First. Design Second. Technology Third.

Body text:

Good marketing starts with clear thinking.

Too many projects begin with design before defining the real problem. My approach begins with strategy — understanding the audience, the organization’s goals, and the message that needs to be communicated.

From there, design and technology become tools to support that strategy.

The result is work that not only looks good but actually works.

WHAT I DO

3 column row

Marketing Strategy

Marketing planning, messaging frameworks, campaign development, and brand positioning.

Design & Branding

Brand identity systems, print design, digital design, and creative direction.

Web Design & Development

WordPress websites, CMS platforms, WooCommerce, and digital infrastructure.

TRUST / EXPERIENCE

Row: 4 columns

30+ Years Experience

Marketing, communications, design, and digital strategy.

Agency + In-House

Experience working on both sides of the client relationship.

Multiple Industries

Agriculture, technology, manufacturing, mining, education.

Strategy + Execution

Not just ideas — real implementation.

Attract Freelance Work

Add a Services page with clear offerings.

Example:

Marketing Strategy Consulting

  • marketing plans
  • brand positioning
  • campaign strategy

Website Design & Development

  • WordPress websites
  • CMS configuration
  • WooCommerce setup

Brand & Creative

  • logo design
  • visual identity
  • marketing collateral

SEO Structure for Your Site

Your portfolio should target high-value keywords.

Example SEO keywords:

  • marketing consultant Saskatchewan
  • freelance marketing strategist Canada
  • WordPress developer Saskatchewan
  • marketing and web design consultant
  • brand strategy consultant

Portfolio Case Study Template

Instead of just screenshots, structure your projects like this:

Project Title

SWANA Northern Lights Chapter Website


Overview

Designed and developed a custom WordPress website and course registration system for a professional association.


Challenge

The organization needed a modern website that could manage memberships, training registrations, and payments while reducing administrative workload.


Solution

Built a WordPress platform integrating:

  • MemberPress
  • Gravity Forms
  • Stripe payments
  • automated registration workflows


Key Features

  • Course registration system
  • Member account management
  • automated payment processing
  • event and training management


Result

The new platform streamlined registration, improved user experience, and significantly reduced manual administrative tasks.

PHILOSOPHY

This adds personality.

Example:

Good marketing isn’t about flashy design — it’s about clarity.

The most effective brands communicate clearly and consistently across every touchpoint. My goal is always to combine strategy, design, and technology to create work that not only looks good, but solves real problems.

SKILLS

Keep this simple and grouped.

Marketing

  • Marketing strategy
  • Media planning
  • Digital advertising
  • Content strategy

Design

  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Brand identity design
  • UX/UI design
  • Print and digital design

Web Development

  • WordPress
  • Divi / Gutenberg
  • WooCommerce
  • CMS architecture
  • Plugin configuration

EXPERIENCE SNAPSHOT

This establishes credibility immediately.

Example:

Over the course of my career I have worked with organizations across:

  • Agriculture
  • Technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Mining
  • Education
  • Non-profit organizations

In both agency and in-house roles, I’ve led marketing initiatives that included brand development, advertising campaigns, digital marketing strategies, and website development.

Most recently I served as Marketing Manager at FP Genetics, where I managed corporate marketing initiatives, digital campaigns, and communications strategy.

WHAT I DO

Three columns works well here.

Marketing Strategy

Marketing plans, messaging frameworks, and brand positioning aligned with business goals.

Design & Branding

Brand identity, graphic design, and visual systems across print and digital media.

Web Design & Development

WordPress websites, CMS platforms, and integrated digital systems.

Short Bio (Homepage)

You could use something like:

I’m a marketing strategist, designer, and web developer with experience across agriculture, technology, education, and industrial sectors.

I help organizations communicate clearly, build strong brands, and create digital systems that actually work.

My background spans both agency and corporate leadership roles, combining creative design with practical marketing strategy and technical implementation.

Design

  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Branding & Identity
  • Print & Digital Design
  • UX/UI Design

Web Development

  • WordPress
  • Divi / Gutenberg
  • WooCommerce
  • Custom plugin development
  • CMS architecture

Marketing

  • Marketing strategy
  • Media planning
  • Digital advertising
  • Content strategy

Tools

  • Google Analytics
  • SEO tools
  • CRM systems
  • Marketing automation

Featured Projects

You should absolutely show case studies, not just screenshots.

Example structure:

SWANA Northern Lights – Registration & Membership System

Role: Web Design & Development / System Architecture

  • Built a custom WordPress system integrating membership management, training registration, and payment processing.
  • Integrated Gravity Forms, Stripe, and CRM workflows.
  • Designed a user-friendly system for course registrations and event management.

Results

  • Streamlined course registration workflow
  • Reduced manual administration
  • Enabled automated training tracking


FP Genetics – Marketing & Digital Strategy

Role: Marketing Manager

  • Managed corporate marketing and communications strategy.
  • Oversaw digital advertising, social media, and website development.
  • Coordinated advertising campaigns and media planning.

Impact

  • Managed a six-figure marketing budget
  • Delivered integrated marketing campaigns across print and digital media.


Apothecare Gift Registry (Startup Project)

Role: Co-Founder / Product Development

  • Conceptualized and built a specialized gift registry platform.
  • Integrated WordPress, WooCommerce, and affiliate commerce.
  • Developed UX and platform architecture.

What I Do (Services)

This section is important because it positions you for freelance or consulting work.

Marketing Strategy

Developing marketing plans, messaging frameworks, and brand strategies aligned with organizational goals.

Web Design & Development

Designing and building WordPress websites, CMS platforms, and digital experiences that are easy to manage and scale.

Brand & Creative

Graphic design, brand identity systems, and creative direction across print and digital media.

Digital Marketing

Paid advertising, social media strategy, SEO, analytics, and performance optimization.

Communications & Content

Content strategy, copywriting, advertising campaigns, and storytelling that connects with audiences.

About Section

You already have a good base for this.

Expanded version:

I’m a marketing and communications professional specializing in design, branding, and digital strategy.

Throughout my career I’ve worked with organizations in agriculture, technology, manufacturing, mining, and education — helping them communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively.

My background includes:

  • Marketing leadership
  • Web design and development
  • Brand strategy
  • Content development
  • Media planning and advertising
  • Digital marketing and analytics

I’ve worked in both agency environments and corporate leadership roles, which means I understand both the creative and operational sides of marketing.

Most recently I served as Marketing Manager at FP Genetics, where I worked with the executive team on corporate marketing strategy, advertising campaigns, digital marketing, and communications.

I’m particularly interested in projects that combine strategy, storytelling, and technology to help organizations grow.