Meadow Brook Hall’s Katie Higgins recently sat down with Voyage Michigan Magazine to discuss her work managing the Great Estate’s marketing & communications, keys to navigating an ever-changing digital media landscape & a few lessons learned along the way.
Rising Stars: Meet Katie Higgins of Rochester
Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Higgins.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ever since I can remember, I have loved writing and story-telling, history and travel. Those interests have found the perfect intersection in my role at Meadow Brook Hall. Here, I have the opportunity to be creative while showcasing this remarkable National Historic Landmark in a myriad of ways. I came to this role in 2019, not long before the Coronavirus Pandemic hit, but my journey to get here spans a number of industries, roles and even continents.
After graduating with a degree in journalism and English, I took a newspaper job in Beijing, writing for a national, English-language publication, the China Daily. This opportunity gave me a great deal of interesting and, at times, surprising experiences, working with many different kinds of people with different perspectives, often speaking different languages. From there, I spent some time in broadcast journalism, writing on-air scripts, rolling the teleprompter and tackling all types of on-deadline challenges before taking a role at Oakland University’s Communications & Marketing Department. There, I developed an interest in Meadow Brook Hall, the remarkable history house museum located on campus in Rochester. Over several years, I stretched my writing skills before heading to a fast-paced Detroit public relations firm. My client load was extensive and varied, dabbling in sectors ranging from education to technology, entertainment and even another Michigan National History Landmark—Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
My work in PR drove me to build a well-rounded skillset rooted in strategy, creative thinking and relentless execution. I built great connections and expertise, which was a great proving ground for my work at Meadow Brook Hall. Unlike many other destinations of our size and caliber, our staff is very small, and I began to operate as a one-woman marketing firm managing strategic digital communications, marketing & advertising, website development, social media, branding & messaging, public relations and even photography.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My career has afforded me with constant opportunities to learn and grow. In every role, there have certainly been challenges to meet and problems to solve.
It has been an exciting journey, not least of all because of the remarkable growth our institution has experienced in the past several years in particular, but also because of the massive changes we have all seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, technological advances, and years of volatile social, political, and economic uncertainty. We have all had to learn to navigate communications differently. This has made patience and a willingness to learn new skills so vital.
I believe one of the keys to success is to be open to learning. I’ve shifted industries and roles several times, and have learned to embrace change—even when it feels daunting. This is particularly important for those in roles similar to mine, where best practices within social media and marketing change rapidly. It’s absolutely critical to keep up on trends in the industry and push yourself to adapt and learn.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I manage Meadow Brook Hall’s marketing and communications efforts, which include our brand and messaging, website, social media channels, marketing and advertising and beyond.
My big picture goal is to drive awareness to Meadow Brook Hall as a National Historic Landmark, wedding & events venue and historic house museum. There are many components to this, from promoting the unique tours and events we host for the community, to driving ticket sales for our Holidays at Meadow Brook events each year, sharing philanthropic initiatives showcasing weddings and even historic storytelling. So many of these areas are distinctive and bring opportunities to develop special messaging, create beautiful imagery and manage multi-faceted campaigns. I particularly love developing our beautiful new website and shooting photos for our social media channels and digital marketing efforts.
This is work I really enjoy, from brainstorming tag lines and big ideas, to writing content, curating imagery and even getting my hands dirty—our staff is very small and we all pitch in whenever it is needed. Some of my favorite days have been helping clean out hidden storage recesses in the attics to decorating a 6-foot-long Gingerbread Meadow Brook created for the holidays.
I’m very fortunate in that I love what I do and I feel passionate about my organization. Meadow Brook has become a special part of my family traditions, and I always bring my young children and extended family to the Great Estate for the holidays, to attend unique events and even to take our annual family photos here.
How do you define success?
To me, success is having an impact. This can be in ways that are measurable and those that are less tangible. Today, we can track a remarkable increase in our audience and visitors over the years. We’ve hit big goals and increased our metrics in every conceivable category. Yet more than this, we have elevated our brand materials, honed our storytelling techniques and shared our story in ways that are new and engaging. Our entire team is dedicated to Meadow Brook and we have built a remarkable momentum that feels contagious. That feels like success to me.
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