It’s only the end of week two, and so much has already changed!
This week, the Denovo Fertility team met with Melanie de Vries, a marketing expert from the Michigan Small Business Development Center. While the team has worked with her in the past, it had been several months since their last meeting.
Khongorzul and I were both grateful that Melanie took genuine interest in supporting us as interns. She made space for our questions and input, which made the meeting especially engaging. I’m already looking forward to our next session with her in two weeks, where we’ll dive deeper into using AI to optimize our workflow.
One of the biggest takeaways from our meeting was Melanie’s feedback on the website. Since her last meeting with the team, the site had gone through many changes. Her comments were insightful, user-focused, and painted a clear picture of what the website could become. Her main critique was that the site had lost its “soul” after its latest updates.
This feedback led to a major shift in my role. I’ve been asked to change my focus from social media engagement to website design. While I’ll miss collaborating with Khongorzul on the influencer program, I’m excited about this pivot. Web design aligns more closely with my strengths, and I see this as an opportunity to contribute in a more meaningful way.
A new challenge for me is that I won’t be implementing changes to the website directly. Instead, I’ll be ideating and drafting improvements while working closely with the team to stay within the platform’s capabilities. This will grow my skills in planning and communication in addition to design. We’ve already started reworking the homepage, and after just one meeting, I think it’s beginning to recover some of its soul.
On the social media side, Denovo Fertility recently partnered with an Instagram influencer couple who are sharing their journey through our programs. The response has been incredible. One of their posts generated over 200 comments, offering a great opportunity for community engagement. I jumped into the comment section and was able to interact with many potential clients, and one of them even received 94 likes!
Moreso than the changes to my role, my biggest challenge this week is that I’m sick. I’m not sure how I caught a cold in the middle of June, but it hit hard on Wednesday. Thankfully, since my work is virtual, I’ve been able to push through without falling too far behind. I’m hoping this cold isn’t planning to stick around for very long.
Quote of the week:
“Your brand is the vision your target audience embodies.”
–Advice from Melanie de Vries, Michigan Small Business Development Center