Has your company’s brand gotten TIRED?

Does your existing logo need a refresh or are in stealth mode and in need of a completely new look and feel?

We can help.

Recently, we’ve delivered some new corporate IDs that have breathed new life into old brands (and a couple that started from scratch). It’s a fun and exciting process, and isn’t nearly as painful as most clients imagine it will be!

Check out three new client examples that we’ve posted to the site under Corporate ID/Branding.

I know I’ve sung the praises of Starbucks before, but bear with me again.

Last night I received this loyalty campaign:

And in so many ways, this is email marketing done right.

The subject line was compelling: “Karen, you’ve made it to the gold level! Let the free drinks begin!”

I opened the campaign almost immediately due to the personalization, mention of GOLD and FREE. Who doesn’t love that?

Also, the offer within with visual appeal, bold text, eye-catching bullet points and well-written content– was right on the mark.

This is email marketing done perfectly…love it!

Now, I’m off to collect my free upgrades and show off my flashy new gold card

We recently supported a client who was seeking to harness multichannel marketing strategies to promote a significant corporate event.

This B2C client wanted to use all the latest tools to reach their clients; email marketing (HTML and txt) and social media via their communities on Twitter and Facebook but also using “old school” methods including print invitations (delivered via Canada Post Unaddressed Mail), phone calls and signage at the exterior of the business. Note: email campaigns included social media links and vice versa.

The online channels will be easy to measure, as we track the attendees by their Twitter handles and Facebook fan profiles. The real wildcard here is the percentage of attendees from the hardcopy mailer. It was an interesting exercise to plan the household counts and maps, which is required if you know the area that you want to target. If you are unsure of your target neighborhoods, Canada Post offers GeoPost Plus, to aid in determining your quantity and delivery schedule.

The event is being held shortly, so we look forward to analyzing the best source of leads/attendees. Our bet is on email marketing ranking #1, with social media as a close second (or equal)…

Noting the LONG duration since my last blog post, I can’t help but inwardly shriek. I am guilty as charged when it comes to “the cobbler wears the worst shoes” analogy of the marketer who doesn’t practice what they preach in their own business.

When it comes to maintaining an online dialogue, these days it’s all about short & sweet. And when you’re busy building marketing programs and developing ROI for clients, it’s very easy to let your own online presence suffer.

The challenge for marketers today is that we are evaluated within a NANOSECOND. In this line of work, when you want to learn more about someone, you hop on Google, punch in their name and instantly get the 411. We are measured by blog posts, online personas on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and by the depth and frequency of our contributions. An absence from the blogosphere triggers the impression that we aren’t active, not engaged or disconnected from our audience.

There’s also the element of the fickle marketer. We have love affairs with assorted marketing channels and sometimes, one suffers for the love of another. As well, most marketers I know are Type A, moving at 100 miles an hour, full throttle types. So to devote a few hours to crafting meaningful blogs, which spawn the conversations—it’s a challenge, to say the least.

Less is More. So here is my commitment: shorter blog posts with useful and (possibly) interesting content.

Some people do a weight loss challenge. I’m doing a walk-the-talk challenge. Let’s see  how it goes….

It’s a given that mobile devices have the potential to drive a fundamental shift in business growth, and many businesses are integrating mobile marketing campaigns to tap into the personal, powerful and portable nature of the medium.

To quote our friends at Lyris, “In the online marketing world, email is considered a medium with broad reach – everyone has an email address, and everyone receives marketing messages in their inbox. But, globally, mobile texting has twice as many active users as email. Mobile texting – also known as short message service, or SMS – is a vehicle for online marketers that provides an even broader reach.”

Having launched several mobile marketing campaigns for our clients, we’ve learned the hard way that before you leap into execution mode, there are some important steps to consider first.

Here’s our top 7:

1. Strategize.
First ask yourself, why do you want to use mobile marketing? Without jumping on a bandwagon, does it make sense for your products/solutions/market? If yes, then what will be considered a success? Building a marketing database, creating dialogues with your customers, sending relevant & timely campaigns..?

2. Allocate a budget.
Strategy is important, but if you don’t have the budget to execute, then your goals will most likely not be met. If your mobile budget does not yet exist, consider re-distributing a line item in your existing budget as a first pass.

3. Integrate mobile in your mix.
Infuse your other existing media channels with your mobile call to action, for cross-marketing purposes. Not only does it complement your marketing efforts, but it maximizes brand interaction and utilization.

4. Get short code help.
There are service providers out there who specialize in working with aggregators  to obtain carrier certification and provisioning needs. It’s a long and complicated process, that is best left to the experts. Here are two that we’ve worked with and recommend: in the US, Lyris and in Canada, ZipStripe.

5. Plan your campaigns.
Once you have worked out the short code and keyword details of your mobile marketing campaign (see above), it’s time to design a campaign that includes something of value to the audience, therefore encouraging participation. Ensure relevance and timeliness of the offer, keep it simple and think about the ease of use. 

6. Test before you send.
Most ESPs offer an email or text rendering tool to preview your campaign before you send it out. Be sure to try it out with as many mobile devices as possible, to avoid technical glitches and frustrating your audience.

7. Have customer service at the ready.
Mobile marketing is subject to its own set of rules and regulations, especially in the short code provisioning space. Make sure you include a toll-free number, email address and a URL for terms and conditions to support your campaign. A lack of customer support can kill even the best mobile campaigns.

If you are just beginning to think about your mobile marketing strategy, check out the 2009 MMA Global Awards for some inspiration and ideas.

Got a great mobile campaign to share? Send us the link!