The New Year sweeps in with lots of hype: a rose-colored-glasses look back on the last year and heaps of often-unrealistic expectations for the year ahead. If you like to have a fresh starting point once in a while, January gives you a boost. But, if January 1^st feels like just another day, dragging with it all the same issues that plagued December 31^st, how do we conjure the wherewithal to get through the winter, let alone meet our marketing and business goals? 

Like most of us, I know that the New Year is both a state of mind and a calendar date. I’m not going to wake up on New Year’s Day with superhuman energy or to find that a marketing version of the shoemaker’s elves has done all my work. I can choose to see that life is chaotic and challenging, joyful and satisfying, and try not to deny any of it. That translates into planning for 2020 marketing activities, too.

Even if you only know the broadest or most general goals of your organization, you can easily identify a few promotional tools that will move you in a positive direction. Of course, that’s the [deceptively] easy part: Once you know the people you serve and understand where they get their information, meet them there with your brand, your know-how, and your compassion. The rest may seem hazy or even overwhelming; the rest is all about the how.

“Break it into pieces” may be the best advice I’ve ever heard about anything. If I make no other resolution for the new year, I vow to default to a “pieces” view when issues become too cloudy, complex, or challenging. That’s especially true for marketing.

You’ll be able to get more done and be better understood when you focus on single, well-articulated ideas. Break your bigger ideas into smaller parts. List smaller pieces of the larger initiative. Make flow charts and lists to your heart’s content, but try to narrow your energy to one piece at a time. If overhauling your company website is on the horizon for 2020, the very idea can shut you down before you start. After you segment the project into a list of to-dos or an itemized spreadsheet (we all have our preferences and organization SOPs), isolate one piece at a time. A website redesign, for example, may include steps like a content audit of the existing site (what works and what doesn’t), an audit of the host’s performance, and identifying an outside design partner to help realize your vision. That’s a lot to wade through. With the “break it into pieces” approach, confining your efforts to the content audit first (and alone) may greatly reduce the overwhelm and provide data that will help redefine other steps, potentially lightening the overall weight of the project.

Whether you’re looking at January as a month of brave new days, or seeing it as the same-old-same-old, I hope that when you break your goals into manageable bits, you’ll move mountains.

Deanne

Is your business or product reaching a milestone? Celebrate it.

This year marks our 25th anniversary and has had us looking back through our archives.  The following recommendations began as advice to a client. They’re perfectly suited for today, and bear repeating.

If, like Stone’s Throw, you are nearing a significant anniversary, congratulations!  Experience is a valuable business asset.  Businesses that stand the test of time foster trust, confidence.  When your business or product reaches a milestone anniversary, let your clients and colleagues know about it.

Whether you decide to do a few labels for your stationery and a single press release, or several activities culminating in an awards reception, let’s call your anniversary activities a “program.”  No matter the details, whatever you do will and should serve as a marketing communications opportunity.  If at all possible up front, determine the length of time you’d like to dedicate to your anniversary program, determine a budget for the program, create a timeline for program events and activities, and assign responsibilities for each project or task.  At the risk of sounding crass, like other communications programs, an anniversary program easily falls under the category of business building in all its forms and departmental labels: business development, public relations, marketing, lead generation, corporate communications, sales and promotion, etc.  As upbeat and celebratory as some of the events to mark them may be, make no mistake, anniversaries mean serious business.

Whatever you plan to do, try to focus on and involve your clients, employees, community and any other groups that influence your company.  This will also help you determine which anniversary themes and events will resonate most.

We’ve put together a list of ideas for helping to mark the occasion, and perhaps create a little buzz and good will with your clients, employees and other business colleagues. The list begins with the most practical and least expensive.  It’s certainly not all-inclusive, but it should help to get your creative wheels turning.

Do a bit of digging.  Browse through your company archives and scrapbooks with the aim of rediscovering your company, recording a company history timeline, collecting photos and news items that may help tell your anniversary story, etc.  This research may help set the tone for your anniversary and spark ideas to commemorate it. For example, you might use the material to create a reception-area display or a web page of your company’s four-decade history.  Be sure to get your team involved in the digging.  Encourage employees to bring in photos from their time with the company, too.

Establish an anniversary theme.  This could include a special logo and tagline – Clients first for fifty years, Celebrating a Million Widgets, etc.

Tell your story.  Write a press release that isn’t simply an announcement of your anniversary, but shows how relevant your anniversary is in 2016.  Talk about the economic climate changes your business has weathered.  Mention other events that parallel your history.  Showcase employees that have been with the company over its history.  Allow readers to see some of what so many years of successful experience looks like.  Perhaps provide helpful information about your area of business expertise. You should tailor the release to the particular media outlet.  Post anniversary content on your social media accounts and blog (LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, etc.).  Submit content or press releases to appropriate trade and business journals and other publications.

Let people see (and hear) your success. Include your anniversary logo and tagline on all communications materials.  Teach employees how to use the logo in email signatures.  Provide your employees with labels to use on existing stationery, invoices and envelopes; integrate the anniversary logo in specially printed letterhead, invitation and other materials.  Make sure all of your trade dress includes reference to your anniversary (trade booth graphics, employee recruitment posters, billboards, advertisements, brochures).

You may also want to create a few posters to use internally – a thank you to your clients in the reception area and thank-yous to employees in common areas.

Consider adding an anniversary or thank-you message to the recorded greeting on your company’s phone answering system and/or integrate it into reception greetings and phone answering.

Show you care.  The possibilities are endless. Here are a few ideas that don’t have to be exorbitantly expensive in order to be effective and appreciated:

Sponsor a team for a youth sport, a charity walk or a marathon fundraiser. Provide T-shirts and a hospitality tent or table at the event.

Offer clients an anniversary package deal. Are there a few services you might bundle together at “anniversary” pricing?

Plan and sponsor a community event. Contact the town in which you operate your business to see if there are opportunities for you to plant a tree or a garden in one of its parks or donate a piece of sculpture or playground equipment. Provide a free professional services workshop in concert with one of the area colleges. Institute a scholarship. Create a time capsule. Invite the media to the event by sending out a news release prior and contacting editors personally (especially the community news). Tie the event into your company mission.

Throw a party.

It’s easy to celebrate with an employee-only party on premises, but you may want to consider inviting clients and employees to something more celebratory in a special location. Consider recognizing anniversaries within your anniversary; recognize employee and client loyalty with awards. Show a slide show of your scrapbook. Schedule the party to coincide with your actual anniversary date. Be sure to photograph the event and share the photos (web site, bulletin board, newsletter, press releases, etc.).

Give a few gifts.

Giving a small, quality token of appreciation can go a long way. Depending on the theme for your anniversary, select gifts that will bear your logo and tagline. Match the item with your mission and the theme of the anniversary. Personally, I would choose and recommend recycled, repurposed and green giveaways over cheap and mass-produced plastic bits. “Honor” charitable contributions, a healthy plant, flowers, good food and well-made chocolates top my list – all green and all customizable.  Gift cards and recognition awards can be quite meaningful, especially for your staff.

Tap into your creative team.

If you’re at a loss for where to begin, or simply don’t have enough time to get things started, why not use your trusty creative resources to help develop your anniversary concept and bring it all together? Like your favorite writer or designer? (That’s my shameless promotional plug.)

No matter how you celebrate and share your story, happy anniversary!

All my best,

Deanne

 

© Stone’s Throw, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hello. Thank you for inviting us here today.

[We were recently invited to speak with an audience of law firm partners during a professional development luncheon.]

My name is Deanne Napurano and I’m one of the founding partners at Stone’s Throw Creative Communications in Cranbury. I’m also a copywriter and creative director.

Stone’s Throw is what is often considered a boutique-style marketing firm – we’re small, offer flexible working arrangements, and are devoted to our clients. We work primarily with clients in professional services – law firms and accounting firms – and with clients in biotechnology, healthcare and life sciences. Although our work is mostly business-to-business, we provide direct-to-consumer support for several clients as well. It makes sense that over our 23-year history we’ve built relationships with many and diverse clients.

The marketing and advertising landscape has changed dramatically over the past two decades. When we began it was quite uncommon for attorneys to advertise at all. Now law firms market themselves with tremendous sophistication – often taking advantage of trends enabled by computer technology and online opportunities.

I’d like to review quickly some of the more successful marketing activities employed by law firms and lawyers today. I’d also like to introduce you to the concept of a communications strategy – the plan for ensuring each marketing activity reflects your brand and messaging. And, I’ll introduce you to a fun and easy way to focus the tone and personality of your communications strategy.

With 80% of Americans using the Internet, most companies understand the value of having a website. It’s certainly your online business card (to say the least). But, your marketing activities, whether at the firm’s corporate level, or in your day-to-day contact with clients, can be so much more than that.

If you conduct a quick Google search for ‘marketing for lawyers,’ you’ll find a list of important activities that include online legal directories and listings, print and online advertising and brochures, publishing articles to online journals and websites, contributing content to blogs, leveraging social media, and, even creating online videos. Your firm is already engaged in many of these practices.

How do we choose which activities are right for a client? Understanding your business objectives helps a company like Stone’s Throw audit opportunities and recommend activities that will help raise awareness of your services by putting your story in front of the audiences you’d like to reach. In essence we go where your customers are. We meet them where they are spending time. Sometimes that’s a news magazine; sometimes that’s a train platform.

But what about the marketing activities that some of us don’t talk about as much? Like, how you greet and actually shake hands with new contacts, how you handle referrals, how you share your knowledge and expertise face to face, how you show appreciation for your business relationships, and how you give back to the community. How do you ensure that your brand intention is manifest in your client’s experience with you?

No matter how much business your firm initiates through activities that drive people to your website – inbound marketing – it’s the real-time communication and human connection that can still make or break any relationship. To be the most effective and satisfying for you and your clients, the tone and quality of that communication and connection should reflect your values and your client’s needs – because your values, if aligned to what you do, are defined by those you serve and why.

On to the more tangible? When a company like ours creates a logo, a website, a brochure or an introductory letter, we build a creative brief or communications strategy. We ask or learn from our client about his business, who he serves, what his marketing objectives are, and so on.

We then use what we learn as a guide to create copy and design that resonate with his audience.

For some clients, one of the sticking points in this process is the question, ‘What tone should this marketing activity reflect?’ In a simple question we are actually asking about the character of the work, which is in effect the character of the brand, the character of the company.

Knowing the desired tone, we can use color, language, design and visuals to evoke that character. Sometimes a client will understand tone precisely. Perhaps it’s an accounting firm that wants its marketing to evoke a sense of exacting accuracy softened by human warmth. Or, an architectural firm that wants to align itself with green and eco-friendly practices for designing and building K-12 schools, and a sense of ecological whimsy is appropriate (think Kermit the frog).

But sometimes a client may not be as clear. Perhaps the brand of the firm has evolved over the years as different practice areas grew. Or perhaps there’s a disconnect between the firm’s defining vision and its public image. Or it’s a new business defining itself for the first time. In that case we will often ask – of the solo entrepreneur or the executive team of 15 – If your business were an animal, what kind of animal would it be?  Instantly, people begin to understand how to communicate character and tone.

Whether it’s a specific breed of dog or a species of wildcat, we all associate certain universal traits with animals. Start to think of it now . . . what animal or dog breed would this firm be and why? What about a client’s business? Is it methodical and sure-footed like a mountain goat? Or quick, smart and acrobatic like a Jack Russell Terrier. You can imagine some of the conversations we’ve had!

This is a little insider’s trick to help get the conversation going when it comes to defining the character of your marketing. Which, as I mentioned is essentially all of your communications – public facing or otherwise.

I hope you found this helpful today. If we have time my partner, Janice Mondoker, our firm’s Senior Art Director, and I will be glad to answer any questions now or afterward.

Again, thank you for inviting us. I hope we’ll have the chance to talk or work with you sometime in the future.

Thank you.

[Of course, a lot of the glorified magic happens when we translate the imagined character of that brand into the brand itself, but knowing where you want to go is undoubtedly the most challenging part of the journey.]

When to do it yourself: 

A journalist for a local business publication asked us if smaller companies should hire ad agencies. Well, that certainly got us talking. Of course, we shouldn’t make sweeping generalizations, but we can address some of the issues smaller businesses should consider before they reach out for help.

Our advice in a nutshell:

A small business typically doesn’t employ someone dedicated to its marketing efforts, so it often makes sense to hire a specialist … for some things. You can then employ the best talent, at competitive costs, just when you need it – similar to how a small business might hire an accountant or other professional service provider. Use your time to leverage your expertise to generate income for your business. Use someone else’s time to leverage their expertise on your behalf.

Be selective.

If you think you can’t afford to hire comprehensive marketing and creative support, get picky. Hire a marketing professional only to help you develop a promotional plan or strategy, then consider what can be handled well internally and what would benefit from objective creative or professional execution. If you have a brand and a plan, and can follow style guidelines set by your professionals, you can choose to get help when it will really pay off.

When we work with clients, we provide flexibility when it’s needed. We’ll create structures that help to ensure the success of what a client produces in-house. For example, we’ll provide advertising and presentation templates, easy-to-follow style guidelines, and content management training for website maintenance and blog updates. Any quality partner should offer you a similar working relationship.

Get your important marketing communications done well.

Not that everything isn’t important, but some communications have much greater visibility, or are finely tuned to target a specific subset of your market, and will suggest that you’ve made an investment in yourself (or that you haven’t). That’s something that has the potential to breed confidence in your customers. Those communications will likely include your brand identity and your advertising style and core messaging — the pieces you’ll want to get right, right from the start.

So, if you’re considering hiring some outside assistance, ask yourself these questions:

– Does the necessary talent exist internally?

– Will handling this project internally put a strain on our resources?

– Will I have more or less control over the project?

– Will the project benefit from objectivity?

If your answers point you to finding outside help, it’s time to take a look at available marketing and creative service providers. Use your Chamber directory. Ask colleagues and friends for recommendations. If you search online, don’t simply review a firm’s portfolio, look for client recommendations. Interview the firms that appeal to you and ask for a proposal or estimate, just as you would for other services. That will help you understand the firm’s approach and give you an idea of what it’s like to work with them.

Read the interview with Stone’s Throw’s Deanne Napurano in Mercer Business magazine.

© Stone’s Throw, Inc. All rights reserved.