What I learned in 2011

In two days, we’ll welcome a new year. For me, the change is exciting–full of promise and new beginnings. Sometimes I set personal resolutions, sometimes I don’t. Regardless, I do always like to reflect on the year that has passed and think about what I’ve learned. In my personal life, this typically comes in the form of our family’s end-of-the-year letter. But in this space, I’d just like to share a few thoughts on what I’ve learned professionally this year and thank the wonderful people that supported me to make it happen.

There’s lots I’ll remember about 2011. The fact that I work in a fun, fast-paced industry is not lost on me. Sure, it can be cut-throat and challenging at times, but what job isn’t? What I’ve come to embrace and enjoy this year are all the wonderful resources at my fingertips, the amazing companies that also do what we do, and the constant change in trends (frustrating as they can be at times). There is constant learning to be done every day and I love that.

I’ve also learned that I am not immune to the stress and emotional roller coasters that social media can bring. Even as a marketer that knows how important social media is, I’m a person just like the rest of you who, at times, feels like I jumped back in to high school and didn’t get invited to the popular kids’ party. This year, I learned it’s OK not to be a part of it all and to really filter out/in what you think is important.

I was also introduced to some fabulous resources and information this year. I made it my mission to get away from my computer screen and learn through good old fashioned print (well OK, in addition to the blogs and other online resources I browsed each day). In 2011 I fell in love with HOW magazine, Tina Fey’s book “Bossypants,” Chief Content Officer magazine and the book “Engage!” by Brian Solis.

But the one thing that was the most powerful for me in 2011–the one thing that taught me the most about myself and my business–is that I’m only as great as the support around me.

My support team rocks

Our interns this summer were fabulous and so were all of the freelancers and consultants we partnered with during 2011. I was fortunate to have partnered with some rock stars including Shannon Neeser and Jodi Osmond, Dave Yankowiak, Sarah Sladek and Catherine Jensen. I am fortunate to have great friends and colleagues in the industry. But I could not do what I do each and every day without the love and support of my family. I am not typically a mushy person, but it truly needs to be said. I leaned on my family a lot in 2011 and I am grateful for their unending love and support.

So enjoy these last few days of 2011 and think about what you’ve learned. We are all successful because of the special people in our lives, whoever they may be. Be sure let them know your appreciation.

Cheers to the New Year. See you in 2012!

5 steps for successful design projects

New design projects can be fun and exciting. Fresh content, new colors, solid designs that reflect the brand you’ve worked so hard to establish. But design projects can also run wild without careful planning in order to deliver the right end-product on time and within budget.

I work on a lot of design projects and if I had to guess, I’d say at least 60 percent are still printed pieces. And I’ve been around long enough to know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to planning and getting design projects off the ground successfully. Budget can be a huge factor, but so are things like your timeline, the folks you have working on the project and what your ultimate goal is for the end result.

In my eyes, if you get the following five pieces in order before embarking on your next design project, you’ll be golden. (The following suggestions pertain specifically to printed design projects, but they can be modified to meet the needs of other design projects as well).

1. Budget

Here’s the deal: It is really hard to give clients a quote on what things will cost without a sense of how big their mailing list is, how large they’d like the printed material to be (size and page quantity) or if we’re talking digital vs. off-set press. Before starting a printed design project, consider your budget. A good designer will also work with you to offer you cost-effective options (such as digital printing vs. off-set) and size suggestions. It’s not fun to figure out at the end that the designed piece is going to cost twice as much to print or mail than you originally had anticipated. Whether you use an in-house designer or agency, be forthcoming with your budget so you’re not scrambling to fix things at the last minute.

Also, be realistic with your budget. If you mailing quantity is non-negotiable and you have a small budget, you may need to print digital. If you have a smaller mailing list or no mailing list at all, you may be able to print off-set and make your piece larger and/or full-color.

2. Timeline

There are a variety of factors that contribute to design timelines and typically, the faster turnaround, the higher the cost. If you have the resources to do so, plan out your design projects (or any project, for that matter) ahead of time. Utilize editorial and production calendars to backdate things from the date you want the piece in the hands of your audience. Take into consideration whether or not the piece will be mailed and at what rate (bulk, standard, first class), how many days will be needed to prep files for print, and how long it will take to go through the initial content and design proof process. Below is an example of a production calendar template I like to use:

3. Purpose

There have been a few times where I’ve worked on a printed design project only to be sticking in multiple URLs, QR codes or other links to websites and additional electronic information. Cross promotion is great, but make sure you’re considering the purpose of your printed piece. If your goal is to reach an audience with limited access to online tools (or no affinity to using them) keep your electronic links and pushes to a minimum. Other areas to consider with regard to purpose:

• Is the piece designed to educate, entertain, or promote?
• What is your call to action, what do you want your audience to do/feel?
• Who are you trying to reach (and is this the best way to do it)?

4. Editors

You will want multiple eyes on your design projects–from aesthetics to grammar and fact-checking. Decide who makes the final decisions on your piece and prepare your editors before the projects begin. Their schedules will play a role in that timeline listed above as well. My suggestion is to keep your editing team to a minimum. Decide who your key decision makers are for the project and keep them in the loop. Everyone will always have an opinion and see room for change, be mindful of that as it will affect your timeline and ultimately, your budget.

5. Evaluation

It seems like every “x steps for…” article has an evaluation component. As they should. Print materials have gotten a lot of flack with social media, e-marketing and mobile campaigns pushing through. You may be perfectly correct in knowing your audience well enough and the purpose of your piece to warrant keeping it in printed form (or possibly a print and electronic version). Don’t wait too long to evaluate your piece, however. Figure out what success looks like and track your piece accordingly. Talking with your audience is key. In cases of newsletters and other scheduled publications, audience and readership surveys can be beneficial to evaluating the success of your piece and the value it has to your audience.

For more information on setting up

Create value with membership marketing

Membership marketing–the process of acquiring, engaging and retaining members–is the cornerstone for associations and member-based organizations. It is also a very challenging task.

Now is the time to start thinking about your goals for 2012 and what you want your association or member-based organization to look like in the coming years. Will you be able to sustain your current membership or funding goals? Do you need support in attracting a younger demographic or engaging Gen X and Gen Y as your Boomers move on and enter retirement?

There are many pieces that fall into membership marketing. We recently partnered with Sarah Sladek, CEO of XYZ University and author of “The End of Membership As We Know It,” to offer membership marketing for our clients. With more than 25 years of experience working for and with associations, our team understands how associations work, how to develop meaningful relationships with members and how to create a successful strategy for association growth.

Your members want a return on their investment. They want to see the value in their membership. So how do you create value with membership marketing? By utilizing and developing plans in multiple areas and disciplines. Consider the following three areas:

Social media, websites and mobile marketing

Social marketing is here to stay. Your members and potential members are hanging out online. Create value by providing them with engaging content and reasons to interact with you. As you think about your organization’s goals, also consider your current Web presence. Are you engaging with your audience? Are they talking with you? Are you giving them opportunities to do so by maintaining a Facebook page, blog or other means of engagement?

Brush up on your social media statistics and understand what they mean for the audience you’re trying to connect with. Social media is not just for the young and hip. There are great ways to connect with everyone in your membership base through your website, social media channels and use of mobile marketing. The key is to have a great plan in place and people to execute those plans for you.

Membership campaigns and promotions

Word of mouth marketing has come a long way since your organization began. Promoting your association and tapping into new members requires out-of-the-box thinking and new directions for your marketing and communication strategies. Ideas include outreach or advocacy campaigns, new product/service offerings and networking events (think live Twitter feeds, social meet-ups and speed networking). It all goes back to your target audience–who are you trying to reach and how will you get there?

 Strong brands and identities

Does what you stand for resonate with your current membership? How about your ideal members? Are you touting values that are still relevant today or that have followed from year to year because that’s what has been done in the past? Do you assess your current logo, website and brand identity on a regular basis?

Associations rely on relationship-building to grow membership and your brand is an integral piece of that process. Keeping your brand at the forefront of everything you do can help evoke and maintain emotional attachments and a sense of purpose for your members. Make sure that your identity grows with your membership. Make it appealing for new members to join, current members to stay and outside audiences to understand what you’re all about. Strategies include:

• Defining your core values
• Assessing current visual identity systems
• Researching and developing key message statements
• Updating online presence–website, e-marketing, social media

Outline membership value in your marketing plan

It can be a daunting task to communicate with your membership. And it’s likely that they are grouped in to various demographics. Recruiting new members and staying engaged with current members takes many moving parts. Allocation of resources is critical as is establishing an effective, workable plan to drive results. In addition to the three areas above, you need a stellar marketing and communications plan. Elements of your planning process should include:

• Targeting your audiences
• Analyzing your competition’s strategies
• Researching your audiences’ preferences and perceptions
• Shaping your brand and core messages
• Understanding and stating the unique value you provide
• Developing work plans and budgets to support goals
• Evaluating results

Don’t be overwhelmed. These are elements you can take on yourself or hire out which is exactly why we are so excited to be a part of this new partnership. We have been developing marketing strategies and plans for associations, nonprofits and member-based organizations for years. It is a perfect fit for the services we already offer our clients. So whether you’re looking for a membership marketing firm of record, or for resources like this post to get you started in your own planning, know that we are here to listen, help and offer advice to push your membership marketing to the next level.

Here’s to a prosperous 2012!

Integrate your marketing in 2012

Now is the time of year when everyone comes out with their version of predictions for marketing in 2012. I recently read Gini Dietrich‘s “8 Social Media Trends for 2012” and while it was a great piece (and I love Gini), I did raise an eyebrow at her third choice: Integration of all disciplines.

“Today we talk about mobile, social, marketing, public relations, advertising, direct mail, email, customer service, and sales as if they’re working in silos. But 2012 is the year it needs to integrate. Customer service can’t do its job without talking to sales. Sales needs the help of public relations. And mobile can’t live without marketing. You’ll see these disciplines all work together, as if they’re in a circle, and not in silos.”

Marketing in 2012

I agree wholeheartedly that these marketing pieces need to work together (it’s the exact reason I started Allée five years ago), but I’m not convinced integration across all disciplines will be a trend in the truest sense of the word in 2012. Successful organizations have already figured out that sales, marketing, advertising, PR and social media should all be talking together. And for those that are still working in silos, I think it’ll take more than a trend prediction to move them in the right direction.

To me, there are three types of companies:

• Company 1 already understands the importance of integrating across marketing disciplines and has the resources to do so
• Company 2 also understands the importance of integration but hasn’t figured out the best way to implement the pieces (or is lacking resources)
• Company 3 isn’t interested in integration and likes doing things “the way we’ve always done it” (or leadership likes the way it’s been done)

So how do we help Company 2 and 3? For the sake of time, I’ll concentrate on Company 2 (and my suggestions go for Company 3 as well). Company 2 gets it but struggles to make integration work when it comes to sales, marketing PR and all that jazz. Whether it’s due to a lack of resources or quite possibly, the enormity of the organization, Company 2 is still missing the pieces that will move them forward. It starts with three core components: a plan, communication and support.

A plan

You can’t sell without a plan and you can’t market your brand without understanding your goals. Your strategic plan should focus on what you want to accomplish, how you’re going to accomplish it, and what success will look like in the end. A strategic plan should also identify ways that each department or key area/discipline will be involved. And you probably have one. But do you make it accessible? A strategic plan should be shared–with everyone.

I once worked for an organization that drilled its strategic plan into its staff on a quarterly basis. It was reviewed at every all-staff meeting. They were big on integration and wanted everyone held accountable (and knowledgeable) for the goals they were trying to accomplish as an organization. And it worked.

Don’t keep your plans in drawers for your C-Suite; share your plans and goals with your entire organization so they have something to work toward and understand how they can collaborate with others.

Communication

Are there set roles for the people in your departments? If someone needed a direct mail piece sent out next month, would they know who to ask about it? Integration across disciplines can be hard enough, so it’s imperative that you have good communication systems in place first. Incorporate a variety of ways for departments to cross-function and communicate. Company email and newsletters are great, but think about taking those a step further by allowing for all-staff meetings, open discussions via a closed social network or Skype chats. Another example: Open up your sales meetings once a month to include your marketing team. They’ll have a new outlook on what your sales team is accountable for and what they are looking for in ways of support. It’s also a great way to have conversations around what your customers want.

Support

Don’t waste your time playing the blame game. Sales can be mad at marketing, marketing can be angry at sales and management can be blaming them both. Support one another and understand that everyone plays an important role in the company’s success.

Integration across all disciplines is cost effective and smart. You shouldn’t be running a social media campaign without knowing your sales goals, your strategic plan or what direct mail pieces are going to drop next week. Your sales team should know what marketing channels you use and likewise, your marketing team should take a note from sales to understand what customers want. It all works together.

So rather than talk about integration across disciplines as a trend, let’s push forward and skip the trend–let’s make it the new norm.

Think about your own organization. What do you think the key to success is when integrating across disciplines?

Introducing Allée’s new website

It’s time to introduce Allée’s new website! We have been working hard on this project during the past two months and are excited to finally see it “go live” today. If you take a peek around, you’ll notice easy contact forms, a new, free eBook and blog articles that sit right on our home page.

Special thanks to our partner in crime, Dave Yankowiak of Lift Development. Dave’s ability to program and customize just about anything we threw his way took a great load off our shoulders. (There’s definitely a reason we partner with this guy often).

So let us know what you think. Our hope is that you’re able to find the information you’re looking for quickly while learning a bit or two.

Thanks for stopping by!

Content marketing steps to take today

If you’re not immersed in the marketing industry day in and day out, you may be unfamiliar with content marketing. And if you’re wondering what content marketing is, this post serves as a place to get your feet wet and learn more about it.

What is content marketing?

Simply put, content marketing is jargon we use in the marketing industry to describe content that is customized or published with a key demographic in mind. It’s a way to distribute relevant information that audiences can engage with; content they want to read and be a part of. This content has value and serves a purpose. Content marketing can be seen as a solution to a problem or need your target audience has.

Content marketing is not about selling. The information you provide to your audience should be valuable, not a sales pitch. In many ways, content marketing puts a face on your company or brand and shows you in a personal light. Real discussion. Real topics. Real information.

Customizing content isn’t new.

When you were a teenager, did you tell your parents about your wild adventures on the weekends? Do you answer a question about shoes with a list of the top places you want to go on vacation? No. Why? Because you know how to interact and follow a conversation. You know who it is appropriate to share intimate information with and who really wouldn’t care to know about it. In life, we are constantly filtering and customizing our own content.

Bottom line: no matter if you’re the key spokesperson at your company, the marketing specialist at a nonprofit or just the guy who happens to be in charge of social media, you need to know the right things to say to your audiences and the exact information they care to know about.

Bigger isn’t always better.

I once received an e-newsletter from a printer with the following information:

“Long copy sells. For years the Wall Street Journal sent their 8 page letter solicitation. They experimented with shorter copy, but could never beat the response rate for the 8 page control. Overall, real buyers want lots of information on the product they are considering. So the more information you can include in a mailing, the more likely you will attract buyers.  This has somewhat changed with buyers able to get more information from a company’s website, but not much. If catalogers could simply get you to go to their website, then they wouldn’t need to send an expensive catalog.”

Interestingly enough, as I was prepping for this blog post, I Googled the first sentence of this paragraph (mostly because I couldn’t remember which e-news it came from) and it turns out this paragraph has been regurgitated across the Web on various direct mail, postcard and print vendor websites.

Seems like everyone is drinking the same juice. And, I think, a little off the mark.

Of course a printer is going to want you to use large amounts of copy to sell your product or service. If you stick with your 8-page brochure instead of scaling back to 4, there is a huge benefit for the printer. However, quantity is not a driving force in successful content marketing. It’s about quality. Statistics and examples like the one listed above are misleading because they don’t take into account the type of content provided.

Sometimes your content might warrant being 8-pages (or 800 words if we’re talking blog formats…current post included). Other times, a quick two-sentence post on your Facebook wall with a hot link could generate a ridiculous amount of conversation and engagement. If the content is appealing your audience will let you know.

Content marketing steps you can take today.

Implementing new marketing initiatives can be time consuming and lets face it, many times expensive. Here are some guidelines to help you on your way to implementing content marketing into your current marketing plan:

• Review your business goals and implement at least one content strategy that supports that goal
• Define your target audience and segment according to their needs
• Make a list of topics that relate to the products or services you offer
• Change a current sales channel into a content marketing channel
• Utilize editorial calendars for your blog, company newsletter and social media sites
• Keep an idea file, white board or stack of Post-Its to track potential topics
• Make content a priority

For specific examples of the above guidelines and additional content marketing information, download Allée’s free eBook: “Stop Selling: A Content Marketing Guide“.

Results from content marketing rarely happen over night. Stick with it and keep a schedule. As your audience becomes more aware of the type of content you’re putting out they’ll come back for more, to have conversations and to share with their friends the great things you’re talking about and doing.