The Orchard: How Our Network of Freelancers Powers Results-Driven Marketing

bunch of apples on a tree in an orchard

At Green Apple Strategy, we’ve always believed there’s a better way to do marketing. That belief began in 2012 when we set out to build a different kind of marketing agency—one focused not just on delivering tactical marketing services, but on offering true strategic support to help businesses grow.

Today, that mindset shapes everything we do, from how we serve our clients to how we build our team. While our core team is based in Nashville, we’ve also cultivated something unique behind the scenes: a hand-selected, growing network of freelance marketing talent we call The Orchard.

Today, The Orchard includes nearly 20 creative and technical professionals, each bringing specialized expertise, fresh perspective, and a deep commitment to helping our clients succeed. While we’ve touched on the advantages of The Orchard in the past, such as the access to top-tier talent and the ability to assemble dream teams tailored specifically to the needs of each Green Apple client, we wanted to peel back another layer. 

Top Industry Talent in Virtually Every Area of Marketing Expertise

One of the greatest strengths of The Orchard is its depth and diversity. Instead of relying on a fixed internal team to cover every skill set, we tap into seasoned specialists with deep experience in their field. That means clients get experts, not generalists

Here’s a quick tour of the types of talent we work with and an explanation of how they bring strategy to life for our clients:

1. Content Strategy and Development

Content is the backbone of modern marketing. In fact, 70% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing because of the long-term value it delivers. That’s why we partner with content strategists and writers who don’t just write blogs, they think holistically about messaging, voice, SEO, audience needs, and strategic storytelling.

Many of our content partners have decades of experience across industries, allowing us to build content strategies that drive engagement and support big-picture business goals.

2. Videography and Photography

We all know video can be one of the most compelling ways to connect with an audience, but it can also be expensive and complicated to produce. That’s where our creative partnerships shine. We collaborate with companies like lilDRAGON and trusted freelance photographers and videographers to deliver high-quality, award-winning content without the usual production headaches.

Our partners in The Orchard bring ingenuity and a commitment to excellence that enables us to pair the ideal visual storyteller with each project, ensuring impactful content.

3. Graphic Design

Graphic design is a key component of how brands communicate visually and emotionally. Because of The Orchard, we’re able to work with designers who specialize in everything from healthcare to hospitality, tailoring visuals to each client’s unique brand and audience. This approach helps us avoid the creative ruts that can come from relying on a single style or designer.

4. Web Development

Our selected web developers are chosen because of their ability to create memorable digital experiences that align with our clients’ goals. User experience, keyword optimization, technical performance, and accessibility are all top priorities. The developers we work with bring a strategic lens to every step of the process. It’s the perfect blend of form and function.

5. Email Marketing and Social Media

Trends change fast in email marketing and social media, but we stay ahead by working with specialists who live and breathe these platforms every day. Our Orchard partners help us apply best practices, test new formats, and keep clients relevant and visible across the channels that matter most.

6. SEO and Digital Advertising

Many agencies treat SEO and paid advertising as afterthoughts. Not us. We partner with experts who specialize in these fields, people who are constantly testing, optimizing, and analyzing performance to deliver results. This level of skill is essential to staying competitive online. 

7. PR and Media Buying

From traditional media outreach to digital PR and crisis communications, our PR partners bring decades of experience and strong industry connections. They help our clients gain visibility, protect their reputations, and share their stories in ways that truly resonate. It’s just one more example of how we think beyond tactics to support long-term brand success.

What Orchard Members Have to Say

The heart of The Orchard lies in the talented individuals who contribute their unique skills and passion to our clients’ success. We often hear from our Orchard partners that working with Green Apple is different. Here’s a glimpse into their experience working with our core team: 

“Green Apple Strategy exceeded all expectations on a recent video production project,” shared videographer Chase Johnson. “They were organized, proactive, and always one step ahead. Their attention to detail and communication made the entire process smooth and stress-free.”

Content strategist Jeremy Chandler added, “If I had to pick one thing that sets them apart, it’s their genuine care for client success. They go above and beyond—not just for marketing projects, but for the client’s overall business. Green Apple truly embraces a partnership mentality.”

Amanda Monroe, an email marketing strategist, shared, “As an Orchard member, I appreciate that I’m still fully part of the team, embedded in each client’s strategy. The Green Apple team provides their invaluable marketing strategy and business insights, which I can apply to my area of expertise, email marketing, and level up the client’s success.”

“Green Apple Strategy is one of the most positive, longstanding contract relationships I’ve had over the past seven years,” shared Meghan Clark, one of Green Apple’s content specialists. “The core team is skilled, communicative, and warm. Getting to collaborate with them and other Orchard members is a privilege.” 

Want to Work With Us—Or Join Us?

If you’re a business seeking a fresh, strategic approach to marketing or a freelance marketing specialist looking for meaningful work with a team that values your input, The Orchard is the place where connection and creativity thrive.

Ready to learn more about how we work or think you’d be a great fit for The Orchard? 

Get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

How to Create a Marketing Strategy That Actually Gets Used

using a marketing strategy to make things happen

There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that go into developing a marketing strategy. You create a document filled with insights from analysis and innovative tactics to achieve your goals. It’s the blueprint for your brand’s future success. But then it sits on a shared drive in a forgotten folder. Like a beautifully designed ship that never leaves the harbor, it never gets the chance to make an impact. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

According to a recent report from Constant Contact, 73% of businesses lack confidence in their marketing strategies. For small to mid-size businesses—especially those with lean marketing teams— even the best-laid plans can stall.

A marketing strategy that doesn’t translate into real-world action and ultimately impacts your bottom line is just a pretty document. 

At Green Apple, we’ve worked with dozens of businesses across a variety of industries over the past decade. We’ve seen where strategies break down and what it takes to build a marketing plan that doesn’t sit collecting dust. If you’re ready to create a plan that moves beyond the planning phase and into meaningful impact, here are a few key insights we’ve learned: 

Common Roadblocks: Why Marketing Plans Stay Grounded

Before we dive into solutions, let’s acknowledge some of the common hurdles that prevent marketing plans from taking flight:

1. The “Ivory Tower” Strategy

Plans developed in isolation and without input from key teams like sales or operations often lack the practical considerations needed for successful implementation. They might look good on paper but fail to align with real-world capabilities or goals.

2. Resource Reality Check Failure

Ambitious strategies that demand budgets and team bandwidth that far exceed your company’s actual capacity are destined to stall. The excitement of “what if” can overshadow the limitations of “what’s possible.”

3. The “Who Does What?” Void

Even a solid plan needs a clear deployment strategy. A lack of clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and timelines can lead to confusion and inaction. When no one explicitly owns each specific task, deliverables can fall by the wayside.

4. Analysis Paralysis and Perfectionism

The desire to create the “perfect” plan can lead to endless revisions and delays. While thorough planning is essential, getting stuck in the planning phase prevents any real-world learning and impact.

Principles for Developing a Marketing Strategy That Actually Gets Used

Here are some core principles we embrace at Green Apple Strategy to make sure your marketing plan moves from a document to a driving force for your business:

1. Principle: Bring Stakeholders to the Table Early

When you’re developing your marketing strategy, make sure you have the right stakeholders speaking into it from the very beginning. Bringing key players into the conversation early on fosters a sense of shared ownership and allows you to create a marketing plan that aligns with overarching business objectives. This encourages collaboration across different departments, allowing you to gain a comprehensive understanding of your goals from various perspectives. 

2. Principle: Maintain Your Achievability Anchor

Unless you have the vast resources of a major corporation, your marketing budget and team size will inevitably have limitations. It’s crucial to anchor your strategic ambitions in the reality of your available resources. While it’s great to dream big, a truly usable strategy sets achievable goals and outlines tactics that can realistically be executed within your constraints. This doesn’t mean settling for less; it means being smart and resourceful, focusing on high-impact activities that align with your capacity.

3. Principle: Create a Runway with a Path of Defined Actions

A well-articulated strategy is only half the battle. To ensure it actually gets used, everyone involved needs a clear understanding of the next steps and their individual roles. This is where an operations-driven approach to marketing becomes essential. Clearly define what deliverables each team member or department is responsible for, along with realistic deadlines and key performance indicators (KPIs). When everyone knows their part in the execution process, it significantly increases the likelihood of tasks being completed on time, so that strategy keeps moving forward.

4. Principle: Build Your Execution Engine

The execution of a marketing strategy often hinges on the seemingly small details and the consistency of the daily grind. Even the most innovative plans can get derailed or significantly delayed without a solid system for project management and execution. This involves establishing clear workflows, utilizing project management tools, and fostering consistent communication within the team. Details matter, so make sure you have a way to track them.

5. Principle: Plan to Pivot

Another common reason marketing plans lose momentum is the emergence of unexpected changes. New product launches, shifts in market direction, or compelling new ideas are especially common in entrepreneurial environments. Having a framework in place for evaluating new ideas and strategically pivoting your marketing plan before these disruptions occur can save you from a complete derailment. 

6. Principle: Regularly Monitor and Evaluate Progress 

Don’t wait until the end of the quarter to see if your plan worked. You need to build in regular check-ins to evaluate what’s working and what’s not. This could involve scheduling meetings with business development or sales teams, analyzing customer feedback, or reviewing key performance metrics. By proactively agreeing upon a strategy for evaluating performance and integrating these check-ins into your plan from the outset, you can identify areas for optimization and make necessary adjustments to stay on track toward your goals.

7. Principle: Just Launch (But Know Your Compass)

While it’s crucial to lay a solid foundation by understanding your target audience and developing a memorable brand story, don’t let the pursuit of absolute perfection keep you stuck in the planning phase indefinitely. Sometimes, the most valuable insights come from real-world testing and iteration. Embrace the principle of “launch and learn.” Get your initial campaigns off the ground, gather feedback, analyze the results, and be prepared to refine your approach as you go. Momentum is often more valuable than flawless initial execution.

Conclusion: Strategy + Execution = Real Results

At Green Apple, we believe marketing is an investment, and we’re here to make sure it’s a smart one. Whether we’re building a long-term marketing plan or helping you lay the groundwork for a growth-focused campaign, our goal is to create strategies that move the needle.

Ready to build a marketing strategy that actually gets used?

Contact us today to learn more about our approach to strategic planning that balances big ideas with real execution.