Last Thursday, I arrived at the office, but instead of being greeted by the same AtTask logo I was so familiar with, I found myself staring at a new dynamic logo with new colors and a new name: Workfront. In the months leading up to this, there had been a flood of emails, scores of intense meetings, and countless man hours logged by our marketing team, communications team, and development team. Don’t even get me started on all the surveys, brainstorming, consulting, and nitpicking that finally produced the new name and design. And we’re only just getting started. In the days to come, we will be spending significant time and dollars into introducing our new brand to the marketplace and getting back to the level of recognition we once had with our former brand.
All of which might lead you to ask, “Why go to all this trouble?”
First off, let me say a rebrand is certainly not something company leadership takes on just for fun or on a whim. You don’t do it just because you’re tired of looking at your old one. A rebrand is the right solution for some very specific scenarios. If you can learn to recognize those scenarios, a rebrand could supercharge your company’s potential in the years to come. So how do you know if your company needs a rebrand?
Read More: http://www.workfront.com/resources/article/how-you-know-its-time-to-rebrand/
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
Your Logo is Critical to the Success of Your Business
Great logos are recognizable in a blink. They also should make a lasting impression.
Target hits the bullseye, Nike goes swoosh, and Apple catches the eye. All three company’s iconic logos are unique, memorable and stand the test of time. They instantly and consistently do what a potent logo should: Identify a brand, make it stand out and, ideally, drive customer interest and sales.
We all know great logos, but we don’t all know that great logos aren’t easy to create. From concept to color to rollout, there’s much to consider when boiling your brand down to a single emblem.
Related: 5 Must-Haves for a Successful Logo
“We have less time and less space to tell our stories in than ever before,” says Alina Wheeler, a Philadelphia-based branding expert and author of Designing Brand Identity (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., fourth edition, 2013). “To rise above the clutter, a symbol or a logo is the fastest communication known to man. It unlocks associations with your brand on sight, so it’s important to get it right the first time around.”
Read More: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243181
Target hits the bullseye, Nike goes swoosh, and Apple catches the eye. All three company’s iconic logos are unique, memorable and stand the test of time. They instantly and consistently do what a potent logo should: Identify a brand, make it stand out and, ideally, drive customer interest and sales.
We all know great logos, but we don’t all know that great logos aren’t easy to create. From concept to color to rollout, there’s much to consider when boiling your brand down to a single emblem.
Related: 5 Must-Haves for a Successful Logo
“We have less time and less space to tell our stories in than ever before,” says Alina Wheeler, a Philadelphia-based branding expert and author of Designing Brand Identity (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., fourth edition, 2013). “To rise above the clutter, a symbol or a logo is the fastest communication known to man. It unlocks associations with your brand on sight, so it’s important to get it right the first time around.”
Read More: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243181
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
12 Secrets of the Human Brain to Use in Your Marketing
12 Secrets of the Human Brain to Use in Your Marketing [Infographic]
by Verónica Maria Jarski
Knowing how the human mind processes information and images—and putting that knowledge to use—can help you become a more engaging and effective marketer.
Here's a look at some fascinating facts about the human mind, from a marketing perspective.
Did you know that the human brain processes emotions far more quickly than rational thought? "Emotions process input five times faster than our conscious brain," according to the following Emma infographic.
Our brains also really love images. "Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text," states Emma. "We comprehend and remember pictures with text more than text alone."
To get more facts about the human brain to help you imp
Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2015/27058/12-secrets-of-the-human-brain-to-use-in-your-marketing-infographic#ixzz3S11d9eZn
by Verónica Maria Jarski
Knowing how the human mind processes information and images—and putting that knowledge to use—can help you become a more engaging and effective marketer.
Here's a look at some fascinating facts about the human mind, from a marketing perspective.
Did you know that the human brain processes emotions far more quickly than rational thought? "Emotions process input five times faster than our conscious brain," according to the following Emma infographic.
Our brains also really love images. "Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text," states Emma. "We comprehend and remember pictures with text more than text alone."
To get more facts about the human brain to help you imp
Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2015/27058/12-secrets-of-the-human-brain-to-use-in-your-marketing-infographic#ixzz3S11d9eZn
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Why Hire a Professional Marketing Firm? Reason #31: Connections
It's true, everyone knows someone. But, when it comes to the growth and marketing of your business, just like when you were looking for a job or trying to find clients, it's true when they say "it's all who you know." A good agency and good agency leadership is well connected not only the media contacts and marketing services providers (video teams, printers, database vendors, caterers, swag producers and so on and on), but perhaps more importantly to potential business, government and other influencer connections. A good business understands to whom it wishes to reach out to, and can find an agency or agency leadership skilled in those circles of influence. Having these types of connections is another reason why every business (even the ones that "do it all in house") should have an agency they value and trust. It's smart networking, and particularly in the professional services realm, having professional connections and word of mouth remains the best source of new business.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Why Hire a Professional Marketing Firm? Reason #17: Objectivity
In our continuing series on understanding some nuances and reasons to hire a professional marketing firm, today we're going to focus on objectivity. In the efforts of marketing, all too often businesses and organizations can get caught up in their own culture and language. And, while that is indeed important to have, what is critical from a marketing standpoint is translating your business to addressing the wants and needs of your customers or clientele.
And, oftentimes, like looking in the mirror with your nose pushed up to it, it can be very difficult to see the true picture. Having an agency can offer solid objectivity based on the simple notion of we provide "X" and these are the potential customers for "X" so here's how we should position this. Good agencies are more focused on their clients client, and will be honest when the company is saying, doing or projecting something not likely to engage or get a certain type of client to act.
This objectivity allows a good agency to take a step back, employ trusted and sound marketing principles, even test those if necessary, and provide solid strategies and recommendations that will most likely succeed. Also, if you're the owner of the business, having an objective look at internal marketing staff and practices may be quite enlightening in learning perhaps better, more efficient or smarter ways to execute a given marketing strategy.
A good agency is a must have for every business, but often is a critical partner in the SMB space where there is little margin for error and where you may not otherwise be able to afford the very best and brightest "in house." Good counsel is always a smart thing, so seek a trusted agency partner that you value for their honesty and objectivity.
And, oftentimes, like looking in the mirror with your nose pushed up to it, it can be very difficult to see the true picture. Having an agency can offer solid objectivity based on the simple notion of we provide "X" and these are the potential customers for "X" so here's how we should position this. Good agencies are more focused on their clients client, and will be honest when the company is saying, doing or projecting something not likely to engage or get a certain type of client to act.
This objectivity allows a good agency to take a step back, employ trusted and sound marketing principles, even test those if necessary, and provide solid strategies and recommendations that will most likely succeed. Also, if you're the owner of the business, having an objective look at internal marketing staff and practices may be quite enlightening in learning perhaps better, more efficient or smarter ways to execute a given marketing strategy.
A good agency is a must have for every business, but often is a critical partner in the SMB space where there is little margin for error and where you may not otherwise be able to afford the very best and brightest "in house." Good counsel is always a smart thing, so seek a trusted agency partner that you value for their honesty and objectivity.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Content is Only Smart Marketing When Someone Actually Reads It
by Rodger Roeser
Content marketing is an excellent way to inexpensively establish your people, services and your overall brand as relevant in the market place. Unfortunately, content marketing is often just self serving blather that speaks more to corporate gobbedly gook rather than the true intent of content marketing – creating relevant content to those publics with whom you wish to relate. So, good content marketing truly is about knowing thy audience. Whether a speaking engagement, a writing assignment, a video or infographic, social media or good old fashioned advertising, a keen understand what is interesting and what will motive your target public to action is critical. But, where do you get that type of information.
Fortunately, information on consumers is everywhere, and most savvy marketers know they have access to such things as claritas, scarborough, nielsen, and literally dozens of other sources that can provide the most detailed information about consumer habits. While rather expensive, these types of services are readily available for purchase and are a treasure trove of consumer information. Most media outlets also have access to this type of information, and when considering making a media buy, this type of information is used to gain access to detailed demographic data.
And while great for larger type businesses and consumer goods, these are not great in the B2B market place, and in most cases out of the reach of small businesses simply because of cost. So, the smartest and least expensive ways to garner data are two fold – quantitative and qualitative research. Survey your customers or clients often and reward them for taking the survey. You seem this commonly among restaurants and chains. Also, each quarter randomly select 5 – 10 actual customers or clients to sit in for a “round table” meeting on what they like and what they feel could be improved about your business. Most current customers have and will have striking similarities to one another, so combining data from a round table with data from surveys and you have an excellent, albeit, basic view of the likes, patterns, wants and needs of your customer or client base.
Also, depending on your type of business, you may reasonably surmise that if you are an auto mechanic and vast majority of your clients are driving luxury cars, they likely own a home, have a family, that career is important to them and they may enjoy traveling. This type of information can be particularly valuable when creating custom publications or even newsletters with content that would be enjoyed by your audience. Remember, just because you’re a financial advisor, that doesn’t mean everything you write about needs to be financial in nature – it should reflect other things a customer or client would enjoy. After all, the greatest content in the universe is of no value if no one reads it.
And most likely, if you’re like most businesses, folks don’t like your newsletter. Be honest. Look at the metrics of the newsletter. Survey often. Have specific calls to action in your content, because after all, are you trying to educate? Or are you trying to sell more widgets? Measure what’s important, not how important you sound when writing something.
Content marketing is an excellent way to inexpensively establish your people, services and your overall brand as relevant in the market place. Unfortunately, content marketing is often just self serving blather that speaks more to corporate gobbedly gook rather than the true intent of content marketing – creating relevant content to those publics with whom you wish to relate. So, good content marketing truly is about knowing thy audience. Whether a speaking engagement, a writing assignment, a video or infographic, social media or good old fashioned advertising, a keen understand what is interesting and what will motive your target public to action is critical. But, where do you get that type of information.
Fortunately, information on consumers is everywhere, and most savvy marketers know they have access to such things as claritas, scarborough, nielsen, and literally dozens of other sources that can provide the most detailed information about consumer habits. While rather expensive, these types of services are readily available for purchase and are a treasure trove of consumer information. Most media outlets also have access to this type of information, and when considering making a media buy, this type of information is used to gain access to detailed demographic data.
And while great for larger type businesses and consumer goods, these are not great in the B2B market place, and in most cases out of the reach of small businesses simply because of cost. So, the smartest and least expensive ways to garner data are two fold – quantitative and qualitative research. Survey your customers or clients often and reward them for taking the survey. You seem this commonly among restaurants and chains. Also, each quarter randomly select 5 – 10 actual customers or clients to sit in for a “round table” meeting on what they like and what they feel could be improved about your business. Most current customers have and will have striking similarities to one another, so combining data from a round table with data from surveys and you have an excellent, albeit, basic view of the likes, patterns, wants and needs of your customer or client base.
Also, depending on your type of business, you may reasonably surmise that if you are an auto mechanic and vast majority of your clients are driving luxury cars, they likely own a home, have a family, that career is important to them and they may enjoy traveling. This type of information can be particularly valuable when creating custom publications or even newsletters with content that would be enjoyed by your audience. Remember, just because you’re a financial advisor, that doesn’t mean everything you write about needs to be financial in nature – it should reflect other things a customer or client would enjoy. After all, the greatest content in the universe is of no value if no one reads it.
And most likely, if you’re like most businesses, folks don’t like your newsletter. Be honest. Look at the metrics of the newsletter. Survey often. Have specific calls to action in your content, because after all, are you trying to educate? Or are you trying to sell more widgets? Measure what’s important, not how important you sound when writing something.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Charged with B2B Marketing? How to tie that into the Big Game this Sunday!
B2B Brands and the Super Bowl: How B2B Marketers Can Capitalize on Consumer Events
by Sandra Fathi |
Often, the Super Bowl seems as if it's more of a season than a one-day event. It dominates consumer conversations for weeks and weeks before Super Bowl Sunday arrives. From the food to the entertainment to the ads and the big game itself, the public is more focused on the Super Bowl than on most national holidays.
Communications professionals typically see the game as a time for business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers to capitalize on the benefits of all that conversation. But the truth is that business-to-business (B2B) companies can, and should, also take advantage of major consumer events.
Conversations from the newsroom to the living room and even the conference room are all about the Super Bowl. It's natural for companies to want to engage in that conversation—and they can, and they should.
Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2015/26952/b2b-brands-and-the-super-bowl-how-b2b-marketers-can-capitalize-on-consumer-events#ixzz3QJlNjr00
by Sandra Fathi |
Often, the Super Bowl seems as if it's more of a season than a one-day event. It dominates consumer conversations for weeks and weeks before Super Bowl Sunday arrives. From the food to the entertainment to the ads and the big game itself, the public is more focused on the Super Bowl than on most national holidays.
Communications professionals typically see the game as a time for business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers to capitalize on the benefits of all that conversation. But the truth is that business-to-business (B2B) companies can, and should, also take advantage of major consumer events.
Conversations from the newsroom to the living room and even the conference room are all about the Super Bowl. It's natural for companies to want to engage in that conversation—and they can, and they should.
Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2015/26952/b2b-brands-and-the-super-bowl-how-b2b-marketers-can-capitalize-on-consumer-events#ixzz3QJlNjr00
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
You know you need to market your business, but how much should you budget for marketing to get the most for your investment?
Tips on Developing a Marketing Budget
By Rodger Roeser, CEO, The Eisen Agency
Creating a marketing budget can be one of the most daunting and insecure moments in the life of a business owner. How do I know what to spend? How do I know where to spend it, or what to spend it on? What if it doesn’t work? For the majority of business owners in the small business base, this is an area of expertise that you almost always should consult a strategic marketing firm or counselor if you feel uncomfortable doing the planning phase. A good marketing consultant will surely save you time and dollars, and direct you toward strategies and programs more likely to succeed – as a good, experienced counselor should know what will and what won’t work.
You can expect to pay between $5,000 and $15,000 for this type and this level of work, but it’s a smart and advised investment if marketing isn’t necessarily a core competency. And remember, there are two “worst and worster” things you can do with your marketing dollars – don’t market at all or just wing it. My absolute best advice is hire a professional agency, but if you insist on doing it yourself, here’s some tips to make sure you’re getting the most for your hard earned dollars. Think strategically before you think tactically.
1. Take Inventory
Gather all the materials you’ve used and have been using over the course of the year or so. Ads you’ve purchased, press announcements you’ve made, social media, trade shows, events – anything that you have spent dollars on in the marketing of your business. Take a look at what each cost and how you feel each performed in doing what you wanted it to do, and remember, putting out a press release isn’t designed to triple your business so be honest with yourself based on the tactic you chose, i.e.: develop leads, share some good news, gain exposure and the like, and attach a value between 1 (stunk) and 5 (worked perfectly) to each one. Were the items professional developed and designed? We’re they clearly written, with clear calls to action, and so forth. Once you have all your “stuff” decide what needs improved – for example, more frequency of this, better designed that, and so on. Now you know what “stuff” you need.
2. Competition is Key
Take a good look at your direct and indirect competition. What is in the way of your business adding that customer or why won’t they try you out. What is your competition doing that you’re not. What is their traffic on Facebook or LinkedIn? Do you see them mentioned in the newspaper often? Are there ads more frequent than yours or better developed? Do they do something creative that helps them build their business, such as earning local awards or hosting events? As you understand your competition, you can then look at ways to stand apart from them and invest your marketing dollars in areas where they may not – the riches are in the niches – so don’t be afraid to cater to a specific group. Don’t copy your competition, understand them and communicate why you’re better and share those benefits.
3. The Target Audience
Speaking of which, who you share that message to – your target publics – is obviously critical. And this target varies wildly depending on location, business type and literally dozens (or more) other variables. So, take a good look at your existing customers or clients and those you would like to add. Be brutally specific in creating a profile for your target public because that allows you to stretch your marketing dollars because you’re pinpointing exactly to which public you wish to relate – and your dollars can be invested in this group. Make the profile as specific and detailed as you can, for example: women between the ages of 18 – 24, income of $100,000, within a 10 mile radius of our restaurant who own their home and are single. This allows you to market in the right places and with the right type of message that would resonate to this type of individual – obviously, each business type will have to determine its own profile.
4. Be Smart
Remember, if you decide to go it alone without agency support, you’ll need to work with the various advertising representatives of each type of media and medium you are considering. So, when working with these ad reps, be mindful that they have a quota of sales to make and they are selling their specific outlet and medium with that outlet and medium in mind – they are not objective counselors – they are salespeople. There’s nothing wrong with that, and they’re certainly not bad people, but they are there to sell you their product, not what will necessarily be the smart marketing investment. Also, keep in mind the price of things varies wildly, so have some idea of what “things cost” before contacting them. Much information on the costs of basic tactical marketing purchases are available online.
5. Rule of Thumb
In many cases, you can determine your annual marketing budget with a relatively simple formula. Take your annual gross revenue and multiple that by a low of two percent and a high of 10 percent. This is most likely the range for your business – although my firm would be able to give you an exact percentage. Based on this range, one being the least you should invest and the other being the most, you now can start to look at your inventory of what you need (new collateral, a refreshed website, better ads, more media relations) and call that your foundational expense. As you look at proactive spend, it’s smart to focus on single areas and single mediums at a time, so look where your competition isn’t and consider going there – and don’t just rely on old print ads. Radio, online, sponsorships and events can be excellent tactical investments.
6. Moving forward
And, this year, benchmark all your numbers right now, this month. Take a look at all the things you want to measure – website traffic, social media traffic, turn, butts in seats, votes, sales of widgets – and set a benchmark. Then, each month, based on the marketing work performed, measure that benchmark number to growth and divide by your monthly marketing spend. While rudimentary, it will help to give you something resembling an ROI.
Rodger Roeser is the CEO of Greater Cincinnati’s premier marketing, branding and public relations consultancy, The Eisen Agency. His firm specializes in developing leading and proven marketing and business strategies and tactical execution for small to mid-sized businesses across the country. More information can be accessed at www.TheEisenAgency.com.
By Rodger Roeser, CEO, The Eisen Agency
Creating a marketing budget can be one of the most daunting and insecure moments in the life of a business owner. How do I know what to spend? How do I know where to spend it, or what to spend it on? What if it doesn’t work? For the majority of business owners in the small business base, this is an area of expertise that you almost always should consult a strategic marketing firm or counselor if you feel uncomfortable doing the planning phase. A good marketing consultant will surely save you time and dollars, and direct you toward strategies and programs more likely to succeed – as a good, experienced counselor should know what will and what won’t work.
You can expect to pay between $5,000 and $15,000 for this type and this level of work, but it’s a smart and advised investment if marketing isn’t necessarily a core competency. And remember, there are two “worst and worster” things you can do with your marketing dollars – don’t market at all or just wing it. My absolute best advice is hire a professional agency, but if you insist on doing it yourself, here’s some tips to make sure you’re getting the most for your hard earned dollars. Think strategically before you think tactically.
1. Take Inventory
Gather all the materials you’ve used and have been using over the course of the year or so. Ads you’ve purchased, press announcements you’ve made, social media, trade shows, events – anything that you have spent dollars on in the marketing of your business. Take a look at what each cost and how you feel each performed in doing what you wanted it to do, and remember, putting out a press release isn’t designed to triple your business so be honest with yourself based on the tactic you chose, i.e.: develop leads, share some good news, gain exposure and the like, and attach a value between 1 (stunk) and 5 (worked perfectly) to each one. Were the items professional developed and designed? We’re they clearly written, with clear calls to action, and so forth. Once you have all your “stuff” decide what needs improved – for example, more frequency of this, better designed that, and so on. Now you know what “stuff” you need.
2. Competition is Key
Take a good look at your direct and indirect competition. What is in the way of your business adding that customer or why won’t they try you out. What is your competition doing that you’re not. What is their traffic on Facebook or LinkedIn? Do you see them mentioned in the newspaper often? Are there ads more frequent than yours or better developed? Do they do something creative that helps them build their business, such as earning local awards or hosting events? As you understand your competition, you can then look at ways to stand apart from them and invest your marketing dollars in areas where they may not – the riches are in the niches – so don’t be afraid to cater to a specific group. Don’t copy your competition, understand them and communicate why you’re better and share those benefits.
3. The Target Audience
Speaking of which, who you share that message to – your target publics – is obviously critical. And this target varies wildly depending on location, business type and literally dozens (or more) other variables. So, take a good look at your existing customers or clients and those you would like to add. Be brutally specific in creating a profile for your target public because that allows you to stretch your marketing dollars because you’re pinpointing exactly to which public you wish to relate – and your dollars can be invested in this group. Make the profile as specific and detailed as you can, for example: women between the ages of 18 – 24, income of $100,000, within a 10 mile radius of our restaurant who own their home and are single. This allows you to market in the right places and with the right type of message that would resonate to this type of individual – obviously, each business type will have to determine its own profile.
4. Be Smart
Remember, if you decide to go it alone without agency support, you’ll need to work with the various advertising representatives of each type of media and medium you are considering. So, when working with these ad reps, be mindful that they have a quota of sales to make and they are selling their specific outlet and medium with that outlet and medium in mind – they are not objective counselors – they are salespeople. There’s nothing wrong with that, and they’re certainly not bad people, but they are there to sell you their product, not what will necessarily be the smart marketing investment. Also, keep in mind the price of things varies wildly, so have some idea of what “things cost” before contacting them. Much information on the costs of basic tactical marketing purchases are available online.
5. Rule of Thumb
In many cases, you can determine your annual marketing budget with a relatively simple formula. Take your annual gross revenue and multiple that by a low of two percent and a high of 10 percent. This is most likely the range for your business – although my firm would be able to give you an exact percentage. Based on this range, one being the least you should invest and the other being the most, you now can start to look at your inventory of what you need (new collateral, a refreshed website, better ads, more media relations) and call that your foundational expense. As you look at proactive spend, it’s smart to focus on single areas and single mediums at a time, so look where your competition isn’t and consider going there – and don’t just rely on old print ads. Radio, online, sponsorships and events can be excellent tactical investments.
6. Moving forward
And, this year, benchmark all your numbers right now, this month. Take a look at all the things you want to measure – website traffic, social media traffic, turn, butts in seats, votes, sales of widgets – and set a benchmark. Then, each month, based on the marketing work performed, measure that benchmark number to growth and divide by your monthly marketing spend. While rudimentary, it will help to give you something resembling an ROI.
Rodger Roeser is the CEO of Greater Cincinnati’s premier marketing, branding and public relations consultancy, The Eisen Agency. His firm specializes in developing leading and proven marketing and business strategies and tactical execution for small to mid-sized businesses across the country. More information can be accessed at www.TheEisenAgency.com.
Monday, January 19, 2015
So, You're Thinking of Hiring a PR Firm. Why?
So, you’re thinking it’s time to hire a PR firm?
Great, I can help! I have hired 6 or 7 (and fired a few).
While the process might seem simple, in truth it is hard to do well. By “well” I mean hiring the right firm, for the right reasons, with goals set to deliver a positive impact. The first few times I went through the process it felt overwhelming, but over the years I have built up a list of tips that help me choose the right PR firm every time. I think my tip list might help you, too!
If you made it this far into the article, congratulations, you’ve already realized the value of PR. If not, and as a refresher, think of PR as key top of funnel customer touch point. As marketers know, we must touch our prospective customers a few times before they buy and there are many ways to do that, PR being one of the most powerful. If done right, PR subtly touches prospects in the media they consume and world they live in every day.
Read More: http://www.meltwater.com/public-relations-blog/hire-pr-firm/
Great, I can help! I have hired 6 or 7 (and fired a few).
While the process might seem simple, in truth it is hard to do well. By “well” I mean hiring the right firm, for the right reasons, with goals set to deliver a positive impact. The first few times I went through the process it felt overwhelming, but over the years I have built up a list of tips that help me choose the right PR firm every time. I think my tip list might help you, too!
If you made it this far into the article, congratulations, you’ve already realized the value of PR. If not, and as a refresher, think of PR as key top of funnel customer touch point. As marketers know, we must touch our prospective customers a few times before they buy and there are many ways to do that, PR being one of the most powerful. If done right, PR subtly touches prospects in the media they consume and world they live in every day.
Read More: http://www.meltwater.com/public-relations-blog/hire-pr-firm/
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Time to do your Communications Audit!
The Mechanics of a Professional, Objective Communications Audit
By Rodger Roeser
It’s that time of the year where it’s smartest to sit back and review the work you’ve done over the course of the past 12 months. How did your team perform, how did you perform and how did your marketing perform are three big questions that are perfect to answer and address during the month of December. It’s called a communications audit, and it may the wisest task you take on this year to ensure you have a more successful, more rewarding and more profitable next year.
The basics of a communications audit are pretty simple – you need to gather up all the communications activities you did over the course of the year. From ads to press announcements to letters to collateral to web statistics – everything that was communicated either externally, if this is an external communications audit, or internally if it’s an internal audit. Once you have all the “stuff,” what we like to do is either spread across a conference table or post it to a wall so you can take a step back and review on first blush the general look, feel and presence of the “stuff.” As you have a vision in your mind as what this should communicate overall, take a look and see if you feel is conveys that idea or that brand. If so, check off the ‘look/feel’ box.
Next, review the copywriting and verbiage being used in things such as ad copy, sales letters, press announcements and collateral. Does it come from a singular and branded voice, or does it feel disjointed and penned by several writers. This can be exceptionally challenging when different folks in different departments or varying agencies are putting items together without consideration of the entirety of the branded conversation. While good communications can certainly have some degree of variance, you want your materials to be consistent throughout in tone and feel. Are the materials conveying the thoughts and concepts you want them to convey, are they portraying your business in the light you wish it to be conveyed, and does it help foster engagement and truly share a story.
After you’ve reviewed tone of voice and tone of look, now you need to look at your metrics. Assuming you had a marketing plan for the year (you didn’t have a marketing plan, well, that’s another article but you need to do this to start making your plan for next year) now you can begin the measurement of how things actually functioned. Look at increases in web traffic, social media voice, articles published, interviews conducted, sales leads generated, impressions and so on and so forth – whatever key performance indicators (KPIs) were important for you and your business to measure. My favorite, most often overlooked KPI is overall sales – did they increase? If not, what the hell is marketing doing? Right? These metrics take on a variety of forms and can be broad or incredibly granular depending on the program, product, service or goal. For example, let’s assume you wanted to measure the increase in sales of windshield washer fluid. Assuming you had a campaign to push said sales, it’s relatively simple to have benchmarked current sales, then after the campaign gauge those numbers and divide it by marketing investment. Or, on a much broader scale, if you’re looking towards increase web traffic, what percentage did that go up based on general branding and awareness activity.
Now, if all this sounds like a lot of extra work, well – it is and it isn’t. But, I’m a firm believe that you “can’t manage what you can’t measure” so having a tight communications audit is a critical, but sadly often overlooked aspect, of a good marketing plan and a good marketing leader. It’s important to have the numbers, it’s critical to look at what is and what isn’t working. Is your internal team coming up with good ideas and strategies that are helping to achieve goals, or are they simply executing random tactics as they come up. Is your agency working with you to proactively drive business success, or are they simply executing tactics. And, if they’re simply executing tactics (assuming they’re your tactics you’re directing them to execute) are you measuring them against your goals?
And, are you able to do so objectively. Can your CMO or marketing directly truly share when something is not working well, or spend is too high or simply not producing. Sadly, in some internal situations, the fox is guarding the hen house when reporting results, so keep an objective third party in mind that has the ability and expertise to perform a comprehensive communications audit to keep your marketing and your results on track – while also looking at other opportunities that may be a significantly better investment based on the goals and results you seek.
About the Author
Rodger Roeser is the CEO of Greater Cincinnati’s premier professional services branding and marketing firm The Eisen Agency. Roeser is an award winning television, radio and print journalist, and an award winning public relations and marketing executive. He can be reached at RRoeser@TheEisenAgency.com.
By Rodger Roeser
It’s that time of the year where it’s smartest to sit back and review the work you’ve done over the course of the past 12 months. How did your team perform, how did you perform and how did your marketing perform are three big questions that are perfect to answer and address during the month of December. It’s called a communications audit, and it may the wisest task you take on this year to ensure you have a more successful, more rewarding and more profitable next year.
The basics of a communications audit are pretty simple – you need to gather up all the communications activities you did over the course of the year. From ads to press announcements to letters to collateral to web statistics – everything that was communicated either externally, if this is an external communications audit, or internally if it’s an internal audit. Once you have all the “stuff,” what we like to do is either spread across a conference table or post it to a wall so you can take a step back and review on first blush the general look, feel and presence of the “stuff.” As you have a vision in your mind as what this should communicate overall, take a look and see if you feel is conveys that idea or that brand. If so, check off the ‘look/feel’ box.
Next, review the copywriting and verbiage being used in things such as ad copy, sales letters, press announcements and collateral. Does it come from a singular and branded voice, or does it feel disjointed and penned by several writers. This can be exceptionally challenging when different folks in different departments or varying agencies are putting items together without consideration of the entirety of the branded conversation. While good communications can certainly have some degree of variance, you want your materials to be consistent throughout in tone and feel. Are the materials conveying the thoughts and concepts you want them to convey, are they portraying your business in the light you wish it to be conveyed, and does it help foster engagement and truly share a story.
After you’ve reviewed tone of voice and tone of look, now you need to look at your metrics. Assuming you had a marketing plan for the year (you didn’t have a marketing plan, well, that’s another article but you need to do this to start making your plan for next year) now you can begin the measurement of how things actually functioned. Look at increases in web traffic, social media voice, articles published, interviews conducted, sales leads generated, impressions and so on and so forth – whatever key performance indicators (KPIs) were important for you and your business to measure. My favorite, most often overlooked KPI is overall sales – did they increase? If not, what the hell is marketing doing? Right? These metrics take on a variety of forms and can be broad or incredibly granular depending on the program, product, service or goal. For example, let’s assume you wanted to measure the increase in sales of windshield washer fluid. Assuming you had a campaign to push said sales, it’s relatively simple to have benchmarked current sales, then after the campaign gauge those numbers and divide it by marketing investment. Or, on a much broader scale, if you’re looking towards increase web traffic, what percentage did that go up based on general branding and awareness activity.
Now, if all this sounds like a lot of extra work, well – it is and it isn’t. But, I’m a firm believe that you “can’t manage what you can’t measure” so having a tight communications audit is a critical, but sadly often overlooked aspect, of a good marketing plan and a good marketing leader. It’s important to have the numbers, it’s critical to look at what is and what isn’t working. Is your internal team coming up with good ideas and strategies that are helping to achieve goals, or are they simply executing random tactics as they come up. Is your agency working with you to proactively drive business success, or are they simply executing tactics. And, if they’re simply executing tactics (assuming they’re your tactics you’re directing them to execute) are you measuring them against your goals?
And, are you able to do so objectively. Can your CMO or marketing directly truly share when something is not working well, or spend is too high or simply not producing. Sadly, in some internal situations, the fox is guarding the hen house when reporting results, so keep an objective third party in mind that has the ability and expertise to perform a comprehensive communications audit to keep your marketing and your results on track – while also looking at other opportunities that may be a significantly better investment based on the goals and results you seek.
About the Author
Rodger Roeser is the CEO of Greater Cincinnati’s premier professional services branding and marketing firm The Eisen Agency. Roeser is an award winning television, radio and print journalist, and an award winning public relations and marketing executive. He can be reached at RRoeser@TheEisenAgency.com.
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