Indianapolis Business Marketing

As the president of the Indianapolis marketing firm, Element Three. I get lots of direct mail. This week, I received a postcard from a very prominent state university trying to get me to sign up for a program designed to "provide intensive study and experience in both the elements and contexts of leadership."

Sounds interesting.

There is no way for me to respond.

There is no phone number, no email address, no web address to visit. No informational session to sign up for. There is absolutely no call to action.

When you're designing direct marketing tactics as part of your strategic marketing plan, don't forget the call to action.

Here are some ideas for CTA's that you can use to better calculate your return on marketing investment. I'm guessing the ROI on this piece I received will be $0.00. 

• Download a white-paper
• Access a survey
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Special Landing Page
• URL
• Free Trial
• Sign up for a demo
• Webinar
• Complementary tickets to a special event
• Enter to win a drawing
• DVD with more information

Happy marketing - and don't forget the Call To Action!

 A few months back I wrote a post Keep It Personal and the value of personalization and how it can improve the impact of electronic or direct mail marketing. In addition to creating stronger brand identity in the market, it brings life and emotion to your people and your brand message.

I encountered an example of how powerful personalization can be in my personal life this week.

I have sponsored a child through World Vision for about 8 years. When I was single and most of my money was discretionary, it made me feel good about myself that $30/ month was being sent to a small country in Africa to help a young boy named Omar get food, clean water and access to medical care.

I was literally talking to my husband a few weeks back questioning whether Omar was actually receiving the stuff I was sending him when I received this in the mail:



If you look closely, the picture in Omar's left hand is a Christmas picture of my husband and me about 3 years ago and the picture in his right hand is a picture of our family from last year.





This is a picture of the full piece I received from World Vision on Omar. The part on the left is a brief bio of what is going on in his life and the picture of him in the center holding the pictures of us.

This had such a profound impact on me. Never will I meet Omar face-to-face, but the fact that he knows what I look like, that he's kept pictures of me, my husband and daughter for years - made me realize how important my $30/mo was in his life. This experience made me feel like I had a relationship with Omar even though we will never communicate electronically or in person.

How can you bring your brand to life and make a human, emotional connection with your clients or prospects? I'm thinking about the same things for my business. 

I can tell you that it starts with being clear about your brand. Who you are and what you stand for. If you're looking for ways to clarify your brand or ideas on how to personalize your marketing tactics - visit Element Three's website to learn more.

I'm in the process of writing an audit for a client on their marketing tactics and I had to stop to write this blog post.

Here's why.

As the president of the Indianapolis Marketing firm, Element Three, I get the opportunity to see into lots of different companies and how they're executing their brand and marketing strategy through different tactics.

Overwhelmingly the biggest mistake I see companies make - is that they execute various marketing tactics - like email marketing, social media, twitter, Facebook, sales collateral, websites and trade show events with no purpose. 

What's the intent? What do you want it to do for you and then PLEASE look at the statistics, calculate your return on marketing investment and adjust accordingly.

What does this have to do with the title of this post about Element Three on Facebook?

Let me explain.

I wrote a post Why Element Three doesn't have a Facebook Page in March of this year. The reason we didn't have one is because I couldn't put my finger on it's PURPOSE for us. Even though nearly every agency in town had a fan page and we were getting tons of requests to help clients with their social media presence - I couldn't justify the time and effort without a clear purpose.

A few weeks ago I became settled on the intent and purpose of Element Three having a Facebook presence. It's a back-stage pass to our office for clients and prospects. The happenings and goings-on will be posted - with pictures of the creative process and our team in action. We also have plans for special offers to be made available only to people who have 'liked' us - as our thanks for following us and adding value. The people and culture of an advertising agency is nearly as important as the work; and it is our intent to have this page be a window into our office.

So I ask this question - can you look at each of the marketing tactics you're working on - and clearly define its purpose? If not, stop - and don't do it again until purpose is established.

Oh, and next time you're on Facebook - will you Like us?

 In a recent meeting, a young woman visiting our Indianapolis corporate branding firm for the first time used jargon of her industry, much to the chagrin of those of us who were in the room listening quizzically to her presentation. In the end, she was presenting her company's capabilities and hoping to see services to our firm. Instead, we all looked at each other after she left and said, "No."

Unless you plan to hand out a glossary beforehand, stay away from needless industry lingo. Its effect can be off putting and even worse, it can lose you business. And that's the bottom line.

It's our FINAL event within our summary seminar series KEEPING UP WITH THE WEB. We have received excellent feedback from participants in our first three sessions. 

Here are a few of the comments we have received in our post-seminar questionnaire:
"The information discussed was incredibly relevant to my business"
"Excellent seminar"
"Very informative"
"Ton of good info"

Join us at our event on August 11th to go in depth with Google Analytics and how you can harness its power to assist you in measuring return on marketing investment and how your traffic is engaging in your brand and your website.

WHEN: Wednesday August 11th @ 9:00 am or 1:30 pm
WHO: Business owners, marketing professionals and executives
TOPIC: Understanding Google Analytics as an Effective Measurement Tool
WHERE:  3500 DePauw Blvd.
             Pyramid Three
             Conference Room C, Lower Level
             Indianapolis, IN 46268

Are you measuring your marketing? Do you have Google Analytics set up on your website but don't know how to interpret the data? In this session we will go walk through the ways Google Analytics can be leveraged to measure your online and offline marketing efforts. Get more out of your marketing and attend this session.

Register and get more information on our Google Analytics Seminar. 

A special thanks to Cirrus ABS for partnering with us to put on this great summer seminar!

Element Three is ready to kick off the third part of summer seminar series, KEEPING UP WITH THE WEB, in partnership with Cirrus ABS.

WHEN
Wednesday July 21 @ 9:00 am or 1:30 pm
WHO
Business owners, marketing professionals and executives
TOPIC
Social Media: Integrating As Part of Your Marketing Mix
WHERE
Pyramid Three, 3500 DePauw Blvd.
Conference Room C, Lower Level
Indianapolis, IN 46268

In this sessions, attendees will walk away with a long list of 'to-do's' on how you can begin integrating social media into your company's marketing efforts. We will dispel common myths and discuss in detail The Social Three – Social Marketing, Social Networking, and Social Media.

For registration and more information please click here. 

 Element Three has recently been involved in its share of new business pitch meetings. We've done our homework, made proposals and responses to requests for proposals and choreographed presentations alongside our strategic partners. But how does a smart client actually pick the right marketing/branding/creative partner? Here are the things clients usually look for:

1. Experience in their industry: this seems to give clients a sense of comfort. And it can help you ramp up quickly when you know the industry well, can speak the lingo and are familiar with the players and the issues. But don't be drawn in by this alone. The very best firms are fast learners. Firms that only work in one industry may get stale or be lulled into standard solutions.

2. Onboard capabilities: again, clients like knowing that the things they need are readily available. Again, this is changing as are the creative industries. No longer can most agencies and marketing firms afford to keep a full staff for every sub specialty because fewer clients are willing to pay the high fees to cover this overhead. So agencies are increasingly using the Hollywood model in which the agency is part of a web of trusted partners upon whom they call when specific needs arise. So rather than expecting all the resources to be on staff, ask who the strategic partnerships are and how much work they have done together successfully.

3. Integration: this is becoming a buzzword amongst clients, and for good reason. As marketing budgets get squeezed, all marketing touch points must work together and support each other. Ask for examples of integrated marketing efforts and find out how they work rolled out into the market.

4. Strategic creative thinking: not all clients have figured out this one yet but I think it separates the men from the boys. You can do all the strategic thinking you want but if it's the same as everyone else, you'll likely have a "me-too" brand or a marketing plan that's a lookalike with your competition's. Creativity and innovation is key to success in strategic brand and marketing strategic work as is strategic thinking key to successful creative work. Though your creative may be wonderfully fresh, if it's saying the wrong thing or speaking to the wrong people, you're wasting your money.

5. Return on marketing investment (results): many clients ask this first, especially in our tough economy. Ask for examples of their work along with the results they caused. Even if they can't state a number figure (private companies sometimes will not release this data, even to their agency partner), you can still ask for any evidence that the work succeeded in reaching its goals. (new customers, successful product acceptance, entrance into new market, broader share of market, etc.)

5. Good chemistry: many clients don't formally ask this question but in fact it is probably the most important unconscious factor that either makes or breaks the outcome for the agency. Do you enjoy meeting with the agency team? Do they seem sincere and enthusiastic about your business and your market? Do you trust them to do what they say they will do? Check out their references, especially clients they have worked with long term, whether they are in your field or not.

Happy hunting!

 Indicators at Element Three are that pent up demand for brand identity development, brand positioning strategy, strategic marketing planning, design and advertising creative services are on the upswing. We're hopeful that this is a sign that business is finally picking up and markets are recovering from this long, hard time in our economy.

Businesses that continue to invest in their brand and marketing outreach in tough times are the ones that historically recover more quickly and build their businesses long term.

We'd like to hear from you. Have you been experiencing upward trends in your business?

 I recently viewed a two-way e-mail exchange between two business colleagues (not Element Three colleagues!) in which both parties obviously were in conflict with each other. Hot words were exchanged, though sometimes cloaked in politically correct phrases. As a result of the exchange, one of the parties quit their job.

As a communicator, I often lament with my students this kind of misuse of e-mail communication. Because it is so easy for many people to write things they wouldn't be comfortable saying out loud, written responses in tough situations can quickly be blasted off into the ether of the internet never to be taken back. In fact, sometimes e-mails written in the heat of the moment even get sent to the wrong person by mistake, further complicating an already difficult situation.

Here are some recommendations about using e-mail wisely:

Don't write an e-mail in a moment of anger, fear or humiliation. Wait until you've had some time to process what is going on and get clear on what you actually want to have happen short and long term with the person you are considering e-mailing.

Write every e-mail as if it might be saved, printed and shared with others because it very well might be. Don't say anything you wouldn't say to the person's face.


Remember that in e-mail communications, you don't get to share the nuances of your tone of voice, facial expressions or body language. So phrases that are open to interpretation may mean one thing when spoken and other when written. Also try to stay away from slang or vernacular phrases in e-mail communications because they may be interpreted differently by the receiver than your intention.

Keep your e-mails brief and to the point. Use them to share detailed information, directives, key information that colleagues need to have in writing.

If you need to have a critical conversation, do not do it via e-mail. Take the time to speak to the person one on one. Being in the room is best. If that is not possible, using a Web cam two way communication is second best. Phone calls are third best. And texting or writing online comments are equal to e-mailing.

And most importantly, E-mail communication, when done via your company's e-mail server, IS brand communication. Brand communication affects your brand. Writer beware.

Element Three is excited to be partnering with Cirrus ABS for our second summer seminar, SEO: Creating and Converting Lead Opportunities.

When: June 30th at 9:00a or 1:30p
Who: Business owners, marketing professionals and executives
Topic: SEO: Creating and Converting Lead Opportunities
Where: Pyramid 3, Lower Level, Indianapolis, Indiana

We’ve all felt it. That tiny bit of doubt in the back of your mind. Am I up to date on the latest in online marketing? Is my brand well represented in the digital media realm? Are there opportunities that I’m missing? No worries. Here’s your chance to make sure your brand, and your marketing efforts, take advantage of the latest online tools and strategies available.

Please join us for the upcoming session SEO: Creating and Converting Lead Opportunities.

In this session you will learn how to leverage search engine optimization. Learn from the experts ways you can get your company more visible on the web and how to turn your website into a lead generation tool for you. With over 1 billion searches daily on Google alone, optimization is a must for businesses and organizations.

This is the second of a four-part series. Space is limited. Please sign-up early to assure your spot.

For registration and more information, click here. We hope to see you there!

 Retail music consultants match just the right kind of music for a store's retail concept so that, for instance, when you're visiting a fast food restaurant, the music urges you to eat quickly instead of hanging around. When you visit a store that features slightly quirky, somewhat retro fashion, the music might be a similar mixture. Perhaps because retail business measures its success by the hourly intake at the cash register, anything that might help encourage purchase through any of the senses is fair game.

Whether your brand is a retail one or not, you may want to consider sound as part of your brand positioning strategy. Is your brand loud or soft? Will your brand communication include music, sound design, or atmosphere perceived aurally? Anyone who has gone to a movie theater and experienced the power of music and sound as part of the movie experience knows how much the mood is heightened with the addition of either silence, a whisper or a loud bang. Just the right music can either counter or underscore a mood or message.

As part of managing your brand, use all the senses. They can not only bring life to your brand communication, they can create a higher level of engagement for your customer.

In a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, according to an AP article by Martha Irvine, Irvine's article, titled, "Who develops social networking conscience? Youth, not elders", goes on to explain that those in the 18-29 age bracket tend to delete posted comments to their Facebook and other social networking sites while those in the 50-64 bracket tend not to make these deletions. The younger generation also tend to edit or delete out images from their Facebook sites that might compromise job searches or other important life events. Not so the older generation, the article (and the study) go on to say.

With the recent  potential privacy and security issues that have arisen, it seems even more timely to advocate that we all take social networking advice from experts, no matter what their age. At Element Three, we currently have four interns, all under 25. So as we advise our clients on developing brand strategy for social networking, we will also be fortunate to have our own team of experts, based on their use of the medium alone. Marketing managers, talk to your twenty-something children. They know this territory!

You’re Invited!

Element Three is excited to be partnering with Cirrus ABS for our first summer seminar.

When: June 9th at 9:00a or 1:30p
Who: Business owners, marketing professionals and executives
Topic: Net Centered Marketing: Leveraging Your Website for Results
Where: Pyramid 3, Lower Level, Indianapolis, Indiana

We’ve all felt it. That tiny bit of doubt in the back of your mind. Am I up to date on the latest in online marketing? Is my brand well represented in the digital media realm? Are there opportunities that I’m missing? No worries. Here’s your chance to make sure your brand, and your marketing efforts, take advantage of the latest online tools and strategies available.

Please join us for the upcoming session Net Centered Marketing: Leveraging Your Website for Results led by experts in marketing, brand development and online marketing.
In this session you will learn how to leverage the investment you have made in your website and how to integrate your offline marketing efforts with your website. Attendees will walk away with specific action items for how they can enhance the effectiveness of their website and online brand presence.

This is the first of a four-part series. Attend one or attend all. We look forward to seeing you there. If you have additional questions about the series, please contact me directly tiffany(at)discoverelementthree(dot)com.

Space is limited. Please sign-up early to assure your spot.

For registration and more information, click here.

I was doing some research for a client presentation tomorrow and ran across these two charts that demonstrates how dynamic the social media landscape really is.



In 2008 MySpace led the pack with receiving 41% of the visits in the United States to social networking sites. Facebook and YouTube were far behind with 8% and 7% respectively. Today, in 2010, the graph for social media traffic looks much, much different. Facebook is leading by commanding nearly 50% of the traffic with MySpace losing market share and YouTube continuing to maintain and grow their presence in the social networking space. 

If you are looking for ways to enter into the social marketing realm, create a fan page on Facebook. While there are countless other tools you could engage with - Facebook has emerged as the clear leader.

Another meaningful graph - Facebook surpassed Google for Weekly Market Share of Visits in March of this year. No small accomplishment.



Before you enter into the social marketing arena, be certain you are clear about your brand message and how you intend to communicate your Unique Selling Points as benefits to your core audience(s). A strong brand positioning strategy and message matrix is an meaningful exercise for companies moving into the social space.

At Element Three we help clients in Indianapolis and throughout the Midwest manage their brands both online and offline. An integrated plan will reap the strongest return on marketing investment.

I read an interesting article in Adweek today. Titled, The Search for Creative Leadership, it documented the challenge of searching  for top creative talent with deep skill sets in both traditional and digital  mediums.  While the premise of the article caught my attention, it was the quote within that got me thinking.  (Note: in a direction different than the article's intent.)

The article quoted Mike Hughes,  President and co-CCO for Interpublic Groups, The Martin Agency as saying, "Clients aren't going to trust us if they think you're just one of those creatives who [just wants to win awards.] Creative people won't trust us if they think we're just taking orders from the clients. What we have to do is be transparent. That's not a natural trait for the best creative people."

At our Indianapolis marketing firm, strategic creative is part of the mix of services we offer along with brand development and marketing strategy. It has been our philosophy for some time to shy away from awards programs.  Instead, we prefer to ask our clients the question, "What does success look like?" to define the measurable outcomes of an engagement.  We believe if the focus is on results,  the "award" is a satisfied client and a positive business outcome.  We'll take that over a trophy on a shelf any day.

 In business, we call it budget. In academia, we call it funding. And it is the key to being able to do what you want, need or dream. A recently graduated student of mine at Herron School of Art and Design has an idea to do a guide for potential students about our design program–from the student's point of view. He's an excellent designer, very witty and most importantly, passionate about the project. The only thing standing between him and doing what he wants is financial backing...so that he can pay the rent while he's working on the project. After a short search, it became obvious that there are an innumerable number of funding sources and grants available. He only has to decide which ones seem to be the best fit, write proposals and then wait to see which backers say yes.

Is there a budgetary issue standing in the way of your most important project or initiative? If it really is important to you and the success of your business, consider where the money is going instead. Are there creative solutions to getting the job done? Are there creative solutions to financing its completion? Sometimes the most creative part of brand communications is funding it, not necessarily its creation! As your brand consulting group, we can also help you to brainstorm and plan ways to enable your most important projects.

It was a fun day today at Element Three. One of those days that makes me excited to be an Indianapolis Marketing Firm where we get to develop brands, marketing strategies and engaging creative for our clients.

We are blessed to have an incredibly talented group of interns that are joining us for the summer from Herron School of Art and Design. Alice Reiter, Ceverly Strand, Andrea Haydon and Joel Wittman are working with us on various creative marketing efforts both for Element Three and the clients we serve.

Below are some pictures of our interns in action. Element Three has been asked by a client to create a name for their new product line and they have also engaged our logo creation services to develop a full brand identity. Once it's developed, we'll be sure to post the name and logo for you to see.

Here we are in a brainstorming session centered around developing a name for the product. Armed with a brand brief, markers, post-it notes and lots of candy - we got to work.


Jamie Cousins and I hard at work!


Jamie, Andrea, Alice, Joel and Ceverly talking through various options for the client.


   
Tools of the trade!                                                                    Alice giving us instruction.

At our Indianapolis marketing firm, Element Three, we have worked with several different clients that have the goal of building a strong brand presence in the marketplace but have the complication of having sales people all across the nation that need to be supported. How do you build a cohesive company brand while still allowing for the personalization of the individual sales reps?

The short answer? Brand both. Create ways for the corporate brand to be visually consistent and laser focus the marketing message; but, also allow for the sales rep picture, contact information and personal note to be included. Be sure to create clear hierarchy in the brand visuals. The company should be first, the sales rep second.

Here is an example of a recent postcard that went out for our client Connext Financial. This was designed to brand both the company (Connext) and the sales rep (Lisa).



Done consistently, customers will begin to associate your sales reps with your company and both will build a strong brand of trust.

Are there areas in your organization where you can more clearly involve the face your customers see every day? Remember, people do business with people, not with companies.  The more you can give a face to your organization the more effective your marketing efforts will become and the greater return on marketing investment you will see.