Tommy Tonkins

View Original

Jarrang

There are certain moments in life you look back on and realise were the catalyst, the moment you step into the rabbit hole, for all which follows.

One of these moments came for me at an awards ceremony. I’d been nominated (I didn’t win) for the Unlocking Potential Outstanding Achievement award for my work at ShelterBox. I ended up sat at table next to Stafford Sumner, the MD of email marketing agency, Jarrang. And so our story began.

From here Stafford would go on to become a volunteer for ShelterBox and the two of us regularly kept in touch - always keen to explore the possibility of working together. It was four years later this finally materialised when I became Jarrang’s Head of Content - without working for Jarrang and with Stafford, there’s no way I would be doing what I do now.

The relationship we share is so strong that, even after I left the company to set out on my own, we continued to work together. Since then I’ve helped Jarrang reposition themselves as email marketing experts after their journey had taken them to the realms of being a full service marketing agency.

I write regularly for them, everything from their website content through to their blogs and ebooks, deliver training to their team to help them create better content for their clients, and have become a valued advisor in helping shape the path the business is on.

I also work closely with Stafford, helping him develop and share his own story. Giving him the courage to tell his deeply personal story and helping him craft the words to tell it, is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. The impact, the feelings, the emotion - they’re all real and it’s in this space the work I do comes into its own.

One of my favourite things about working with Jarrang is their willingness to embrace ideas. Back in 2017 I pitched the idea of creating a monthly email for them called Jarrang Journal where they’d share their own content and the stories they’ve been inspired by each month.

In terms of building and reinforcing the values of the brand, this monthly email has proved a great success and is a huge amount of fun to write each month.

If you’d like to check out any of the content I’ve created for Jarrang please do visit their website, their blog and have a look at their resources - all of which I’ve helped create.

Please feel free to drop me a line if you'd like to discuss ways I can help you