Creative agencies are often called in to brand their clients but have a difficult time doing this to themselves. This paper from Swystun Communication provides highly practical and creative lessons for standing out.

1. Self Surgery:
Branding Creative Agencies
The
most
important
thing
about
a
point
of
view
is
to
have
one.

2. 2
Nothing
Harder
With
all
deference
to
other
industries,
branding
and
marke=ng
professional
services
is
among
the
toughest.
I
have
held
senior
posts
at
Price
Waterhouse,
Interbrand,
and
DDB
in
marke=ng
and
corporate
communica=ons.
Along
the
way
I
have
consulted
to
tens
of
consul=ng,
design,
accoun=ng,
architecture,
and
law
firms.
Posi=oning
crea=ve
and
intangible
services
is
no
easy
task.
Recently
I
gave
two
webinars
for
the
Registered
Graphic
Designers
of
Ontario.
The
aHendees
were
crea=ve
and
design
agencies.
The
first
webinar
covered
Branding
and
Posi,oning
and
the
second
was
more
granular
detailing
Prospec,ng
and
Pitching.
The
sessions
were
well
aHended
with
many
great
ques=ons.
Following
those
events
I
received
twelve
inquiries
reques=ng
more
help.
This
proved
to
me
two
things.
First,
agencies
who
help
their
clients
stand
out
need
help
branding
and
marke=ng
themselves
because
self
surgery
is
extremely
hard
to
do.
Secondly,
webinars
can
be
an
effec=ve
new
business
tool.
I
took
the
webinar
content
along
with
resul=ng
conversa=ons
and
produced
this
paper.
Hopefully
it
provides
insights
and
ideas
to
beHer
profile
your
business
and
put
it
in
the
first
considera=on
set
of
prospec=ve
clients.
Standing
Out
Means
Being
Outstanding
There
are
just
three
things
to
remember
when
branding
your
agency.
The
first
is
that
one
unique
differen=ator
is
elusive.
Everyone
tries
very
hard
to
get
that
beau=ful
posi=oning,
that
succinct
statement,
the
cocktail
party
explana=on
of
what
they
do.
What
makes
anything
unique
is
actually
a
mix
of
aHributes,
talents,
and
accomplishments.
So
while
it
is
great
to
be
clear
and
concise,
I
never
recommend
oversimplifying
or
dumbing
down
the
complexity
and
value
of
what
you
provide.

3. The
second
point
to
note
is
involves
drive
and
direc=on.
Many
of
my
clients
start
off
conversa=ons
with
tac=cal
queries.
Should
I
be
on
Facebook?
Are
print
brochures
s=ll
relevant?
Or
they
want
to
pen
the
most
elaborate
and
expensive
marke=ng
program
untethered
from
the
business
strategy.
Those
who
actually
win
at
marke=ng
demonstrate
a
constancy
of
purpose
that
allows
flexibility
in
strategy
and
tac=cs.
I
borrowed
that
phrase
from
Benjamin
Disraeli
who
said,
“The
secret
of
success
is
constancy
of
purpose.”
I
have
seen
this
expressed
another
way
by
Andrew
Rolfe
of
the
quick
service
food
shop
Pret
A
Manger.
He
said,
“We're
not
concerned
about
having
consistency
of
brand
so
much
as
about
a
constancy
of
purpose
that
flows
throughout
the
whole
organiza=on.
It
doesn't
actually
maHer
what
we
write
on
the
napkins
or
say
through
adver=sing,
all
that
maHers
is
that
when
you
go
into
a
Pret
shop
you
get
that
set
of
experiences
that
describes
Pret.”
The
third
point
is
nothing
is
sta=c.
Brands
are
never
fully
built.
Marke=ng
is
an
ongoing
experiment
meant
to
an=cipate
and
sa=sfy
the
goals
and
objec=ves
of
our
clients.
If
you
are
a
crea=ve
agency
you
are
communicators,
designers,
social
media
experts,
marketers,
adver=sers,
and
media
professionals
amongst
others.
Unfortunately
that
means
each
and
everyone
of
you
are
providing
a
commodity
service.
You
are
one
among
many.
There
are
ten
providers
in
front
of
you
and
ten
behind
that
offer
what
you
offer
and
may
do
so
at
a
lower
cost.
So
how
you
posi=on
and
market
yourself
is
the
truest
demonstra=on
of
your
abili=es.
Your
posi=oning
and
marke=ng
needs
to
do
express
relevance,
establish
credibility
and
highlight
differen=ators.
The
best
way
to
begin
the
process
is
to
understand
how
clients
evaluate
and
engage
professional
services.
In
the
past
twenty
years
I
have
worked
with
firms
ranging
from
KPMG
to
Baker
&
McKenzie
to
Dentsu.
This
gave
me
a
catbird
seat
to
observe
and
note
commonali=es
in
client
decision-­‐making.
3
3
3

4. 4
What do clients want? What do clients evaluate? What do clients decide on?
Solutions
Enhanced business performance
Return-on-Investment
“Help us make a gain or avoid a
loss”
Reputation
Relevant experience (clients)
Relevant expertise (practices &
specialties)
Proven approach
Client list
Size
Geographic reach/ability to service
Team member’s abilities, chemistry
& rapport
Understanding of problem
Differentiated point-of-view
Capability to deliver on promise
(speed, deliverables, etc.)
Trust
Empathy
Confidence
Integrity
Price
First,
clients
are
looking
for
solu=ons
that
will
enhance
their
business
performance.
The
services
you
deliver
must
provide
a
clear
return
on
investment.
Clients
want
us
to
help
them
make
a
gain
or
avoid
a
loss.
What
gets
you
to
the
door
is
everything
in
column
two.
Your
business
reputa=on,
experience
best
expressed
through
the
work
you
have
done
with
clients,
specific
exper=se,
how
you
do
what
you
do,
client
roster
because
you
are
judged
by
the
company
you
keep,
your
size
which
is
not
a
determinant
of
quality
but
it
s=ll
communicates
an
aHribute
many
clients
evaluate,
and
your
ability
to
service
clients
where
they
compete.
The
third
column
is
the
most
important.
It
shows
that
the
decision
gets
more
personal
and
emo=onal
though
tangibles
like
price
are
s=ll
very
much
a
factor.
This
is
a
rough
idea
of
what
is
important
to
prospec=ve
clients
when
they
are
looking
to
engage
or
re-­‐engage
crea=ve
services.
It
is
provided
to
help
you
understand
their
mo=va=ons.
To
further
set
the
stage
there
are
seven
challenges
facing
crea=ve
services
today.

5. Over
Supply
Even
during
the
contrac=on
in
the
global
economy
professional
services
grew.
Corpora=ons
that
purged
employees
sent
very
talented
folks
out
into
the
workforce
and
they
set
up
their
own
businesses
or
freelanced.
The
U.S.
in
the
2000’s
saw
the
following:
4,600
new
accoun=ng
firms
Execu=ve
recruiters
increased
54%
to
20,490
70,200
firms
provided
technology
consul=ng
3,300
adver=sing
firms
created
US
freelancers
are
too
high
to
count
This
has
made
selec=ng
a
crea=ve
agency
more
difficult
and
has
had
impact
on
quality
and
pricing.
Commodity
There
is
pressure
on
providers
of
professional
and
crea=ve
services
to
give
more
away
while
geing
a
lot
less
in
return.
What
had
once
been
differen=ators
for
many
businesses
are
no
longer.
A
good
example
is
technology
consultants
who
give
away
strategic
business
advice
to
sell-­‐in
large
new
systems.
Differen=a=on
There
is
the
challenge
of
how
we
package
perceived
differen=a=on.
Everyone
sounds
the
same
and
mostly
looks
the
same.
A
collage
of
adver=sing
agency
websites
or
accoun=ng
firm
websites
would
astound
in
their
similarity.
Jaded
Clients
are
really
and
perceive
an
abundance
of
short-­‐
lived
and
benefit-­‐berek
services.
They
also
view
most
crea=ve
services
as
commodi=es
with
one
agency
always
happy
to
quickly
replace
another.
True
rela=onships
are
flee=ng
at
best.
5
Long
standing
differen=ators
are
no
longer
own-­‐able
or
relevant.

6. Freshness
There
is
a
need
to
be
fresh
all
the
=me
to
stand
out.
This
actually
discounts
the
tried
and
true.
It
has
created
an
interes=ng
situa=on.
It
either
has
agencies
and
consultancies
changing
too
frequently
so
no
one
knows
what
they
stand
for
or
it
creates
a
paralysis
where
communica=ons
are
stagnant.
While
I
headed
communica=ons
at
DDB,
we
would
evaluate
our
core
compe=tors
and
were
shocked
to
see
that
their
websites
and
social
media
sites
would
go
unchanged
for
months
at
a
=me.
Hardly
a
best
prac=ce.
Secret
Sauce
One
response
to
these
challenges
is
to
an
aHempt
to
dazzle
clients
with
complex
methodologies.
These
are
overwhelming,
unfathomable
and
most
importantly,
clients
don’t
believe
that
anyone
truly
has
a
secret
sauce
that
is
repeatable
and
applicable
in
every
situa=on.
Parity
It
is
tough
to
be
different
when
the
underlying
business
model,
strategies,
and
missions
of
everyone
are
the
same.
These
challenges
lead
us
back
to
the
primary
subject
of
gaining
more
clients
and
growing
our
businesses.
I
am
generalizing
a
bit
but
suffice
it
to
say
that
there
is
a
very
common
cycle
in
crea=ve
agency
business
development.
When
=mes
are
good,
we
drink
it
in
and
celebrate
the
arrival
of
new
clients
or
add-­‐on
work.
When
=mes
are
bad,
we
run
around
in
highly
reac=ve
modes
wondering
what
went
wrong.
We
are
poor
at
smoothing
out
the
peaks
and
valleys
of
business
development.
Business
development
suffers
because
our
means
of
ar=cula=ng
a
differen=ated
posi=on
and
communica=ng
it
through
various
marke=ng
approaches
is
no
longer
working.
We
are
too
tradi=onal
and
play
it
incredibly
safe.
6

7. 7
Most
of
us
follow
a
very
familiar
approach.
We
go
through
a
linear
and
pedan=c
exercise
of
iden=fying
our
strengths
and
weaknesses,
talk
about
past
work,
float
a
tagline
like
“The
Most
Crea=ve
Crea=ve
Agency”,
and
we
compare
it
to
compe=tors
to
stay
half
a
step
ahead.
We
then
develop
a
mostly
tac=cal
communica=ons
plan
comprised
of
a
website,
e-­‐newsleHer,
a
breakfast
seminar
series
that
ends
aker
two
aHempts,
and
other
generally
accepted
means
of
marke=ng.
We
sit
back
and
wait
for
the
phone
to
ring.
But
it
doesn’t.
We
Make
It
About
Us
Why?
Because
we
made
it
all
about
us.
We
forgot
that
clients
buy
for
their
reasons
not
ours.
We
have
taken
this
approach
to
illogical
extremes.
Ninety-­‐nine
out
of
one
hundred
crea=ve
agency
websites
will
have
‘About
Us’
and
‘Who
We
Are’
as
their
naviga=on
and
content.
Brochures
will
be
the
same.
White
papers
are
devoid
of
real
content
with
half
of
them
talking
“about
us”.
They
are
thinly
veiled
sales
pitches.
So
we
end
posi=oning
ourselves
as
the
“Irrelevant
Expert”.
Instead
of
‘about
us’
it
should
be
‘about
you’.
Clients
are
buying
solu=ons
that
will
improve
their
business.
We
think
they
are
only
buying
us.
It
is
a
subtle
but
important
point
and
that
is
why
posi=oning
crea=ve
services
is
so
difficult.
AAbboouut tU Us s AAbboouut tU Us s AAbboouut tU Us s AAbboouut tU Us s AAbboouut tU Us s AAbboouut tU Us s AAbboouut tU Uss AAbboouut tU Us s
WWhhoo W Wee A Arere WWhhoo W Wee A Arere WWhhoo W Wee A Arere WWhhoo W Wee A Arere WWhhoo W Wee A Arere WWhhoo W Wee A Arere WWhhoo W Wee A Arere WWhhoo W Wee A Arere
About You Who You Are
Take
a
moment
and
recall
your
best
experience
with
someone
offering
a
professional
service.
Was
it
an
execu=ve
search
person
who
not
only
found
you
a
job
but
was
empathe=c
and
suppor=ve
during
the
process?
Was
it
the
interior
designer
who
instantly
‘got
you’
and
came
in
under
budget?
Or
was
it,
as
in
my
case,
an
accountant
who
miraculously
whisked
away
a
tax
problem
that
had
kept
me
up
at
night.

8. I
am
confident
that
whatever
experience
you
remembered
two
things
happened.
The
provider
of
that
professional
service
did
all
the
func=onal
things
you
expected.
They
solved
your
legal
or
accoun=ng
or
business
problem.
That
was
your
simple
expecta=on.
What
differen=ated
them
was
how
they
delivered
their
service
and
solu=on.
It
is
how
they
made
you
feel
that
you
remember.
That
is
what
your
clients
actually
expect
from
you.
Yes,
they
want
a
great
logo,
a
fantas=c
marke=ng
plan,
or
ad
campaign.
That
is
their
‘need’.
Their
‘want’
is
a
great
experience
they
will
remember
long
aker
the
project
is
concluded.
You
want
that
too
because
it
is
going
to
bring
you
more
business.
It
is
not
about
you.
It
is
about
your
clients.
It
is
about
the
problem
you
are
trying
to
solve.
Professional
and
crea=ve
services
took
a
wrong
turn
in
the
1970’s
when
management
consultants
became
rock
stars,
crea=ve
directors
became
divas,
designers
became
brands,
and
lawyers
became
celebri=es.
Focus
on
the
client
became
subservient
to
the
idea
that
they
needed
us
more
than
we
needed
them
and
that
has
never
been
the
case.
8
We
lost
our
way
when
management
consultants
became
rock
stars,
crea=ve
directors
became
divas,
designers
became
brands,
and
lawyers
became
celebri=es.
Your
posi=oning
answers
one
ques=on.
What
problem
are
you
trying
to
solve?
This
is
your
uniqueness,
your
differen=a=on.
Do
whatever
exercise
you
need
to
ar=culate
it.
If
you
answer
it
authen=cally
and
crea=vely
it
will
help
iden=fy
who
are
your
most
desired
clients.
It
is
the
start
to
an
approach
that
I
believe
will
help
you
aHract
and
retain
those
desired
clients.

9. 9
I
want
to
propose
a
a
way
to
get
back
to
what
makes
sense
and
what
works.
It
is
a
consistent
approach
to
marke=ng
and
business
development.
This
does
not
mean
a
rigid
strategy
or
predictable
tac=cs.
It
means
following
a
model
that
provides
both
consistency
and
flexibility.
This
is
a
model
I
developed
while
at
Price
Waterhouse
and
applied
to
the
consultancy’s
marke=ng
and
customer
management
prac=ce.
I
have
since
used
it
at
Interbrand
and
DDB
while
advoca=ng
its
adop=on
at
many
clients.
It
helps
you
stand
out,
grow
revenue
and
manage
marke=ng.
WIN
Win new business based on
credibility, relevance and
differentiation.
Creative
Agency
CAPTURE DELIVER
Deliver the promised benefits and
an outstanding experience.
Capture and disseminate what
was learned and use it to win new
business.
Having
the
model
does
not
guarantee
differen=a=on,
implemen=ng
and
using
it
on
an
consistent
basis
does.
There
is
no
start
or
finish
to
it
but
for
the
sake
of
illustra=on
lets
start
at
the
top
with
Win.
This
shows
that
an
agency,
business,
or
freelancer
has
won
a
piece
of
work
based
on
credibility,
relevance,
and
differen=a=on.
Then
hopefully
the
client
is
delighted
with
the
work
you
Deliver.
What
was
promised
happened
and
it
was
an
experience
that
was
mutually
beneficial.
Then
it
is
up
to
you
to
Capture
all
of
the
learnings
from
that
engagement.
What
were
the
insights
related
to
the
solu=on
that
could
be
used
on
other
client
work?
What
addi=onal
lessons
did
you
take
away
from
working
with
the
client?
These
are
not
just
the
tangible
lessons
but
also
the
very
human
ones
in
working
with
people.
This
is
where
99%
of
crea=ve
services
miss
the
boat.
They
do
not
capture
the
proprietary
learnings
from
their
client
work
that
will
actually
differen=ate
them
in
business
development.
This
amazingly
unique
stuff
gets
chuffed
away
or
forgoHen.
Which
is
a
huge
loss
because
this
is
where
the
value
is.

10. So
everyone
ends
up
marke=ng
themselves
with
the
same
industry
motherhood
material
instead
of
the
unique
content
they
developed
on
real
engagements.
This
content
is
available
if
you
actually
take
the
=me
to
collect,
package,
and
market
it.
Let
me
give
you
an
example.
Cool
Legal
Lessons
I
recently
completed
a
marke=ng
strategy
for
a
North
American
law
firm.
Social
media
played
a
huge
part
in
it
which
was
refreshing
for
the
legal
category.
Most
law
firms
are
only
teasing
around
with
social
media
while
this
client
was
commiHed
to
exploring
the
relevance
and
poten=al.
During
the
engagement
I
was
consciously
documen=ng
what
I
was
learning
and
plunking
them
into
three
buckets.
The
first
bucket
called
‘Reinforcement’
contained
the
lessons
that
reinforced
what
I
had
previously
known
or
experienced.
These
are
worth
collec=ng
because
they
show
trends
and
remind
you
of
common
problems
and
situa=ons
so
you
do
not
recreate
the
wheel
on
every
engagement.
The
project
reminded
me
that
social
media
is
oken
seen
as
a
must
do
by
many
clients,
that
for
law
firms
the
very
nature
of
their
work
is
a
concern
in
social
media,
and
that
given
the
subject
maHer
social
media
cannot
be
lek
to
a
non-­‐lawyer
from
the
marke=ng
department
who
simply
retweets
legal
ar=cles.
The
next
bucket
contained
‘Insights’
or
actual
new
things
that
I
learned
along
with
the
client.
I
discovered
that
lawyers
love
to
know
that
someone
has
done
it
before.
Precedent
in
their
business
is
comfort.
These
folks
work
by
the
hour
so
they
do
not
want
to
do
anything
that
sacrifices
billing
and
this
firm
needed
more
thought
leadership
material
to
pump
through
social
media.
10
North American Law Firm Marketing Strategy:
Social Media Focus
Reinforcement
Social media is seen as a ‘must
do’
Law firms are concerned with the
dialogue aspect of social media
This cannot be left to a junior
marketing associate
Insights
Law firms like to work on
precedent
The billable hour conflicts with
the investment in time needed
for social media
Social media requires strong
thought leadership
Promotable Content
If you choose to go for it, really
go for it
Authenticity is critical
Ensure you have a plan that
keeps enthusiasm up past the
launch
Social media is all about the
details

11. From
the
two
I
dis=lled
real,
tangible
and
promotable
content
that
makes
my
agency
and
I
unique.
I
liked
the
law
firm’s
desire
to
really
go
for
it
and
recognized
that
all
clients
need
to
have
that
drive,
that
authen=city
of
content
is
a
must,
and
that
we
needed
mechanisms
in
place
to
ensure
this
did
not
peter
out
aker
a
couple
of
months.
We
know
people
buy
for
their
reasons
not
ours
and
that
means
being
in
the
right
place
at
the
right
=me
by
being
in
contact
with
the
right
people.
This
was
proven
in
a
study
by
Broderick
&
Associates.
This
firm
consults
to
professional
service
clients
on
marke=ng
professional
services.
A
few
years
back
they
conducted
a
chunk
of
research
that
put
the
number
seventeen
into
my
head
ever
since.
Broderick
found
that
it
takes
upwards
of
seventeen
“touches”
for
a
client
to
be
predisposed
to
your
services.
That
is,
they
will
have
to
be
touched
by
an
e-­‐mail,
a
blog,
a
phonecall,
a
visit
to
your
website,
seeing
you
speak
at
a
conference,
hear
that
you
are
working
with
one
of
their
compe=tors,
see
you
quoted
in
an
ar=cle,
hear
someone
speak
favorably
of
you
at
a
cocktail
party.
11
That
seems
daun=ng
enough
but
the
more
important
implica=on
is
that
even
with
the
seventeen
touches,
a
client
must
have
a
real
need
for
your
services.
They
will
not
give
you
work
out
of
the
goodness
of
their
heart
but
you
have
a
beHer
chance
in
being
the
first
considera=on
set
if
you
do
this
well.
Here
is
how
I
apply
the
seventeen
touches
into
posi=oning
and
marke=ng.
The
best
way
to
think
of
this
is
to
work
backwards.
It
starts
with
iden=fying
a
manageable
number
of
desired
or
target
clients
because
you
are
going
to
spend
some
=me
geing
to
know
them.
This
includes
absolutely
new
clients
and
clients
you
once
had
or
want
to
retain.
The
next
task
is
part
of
any
good
business
planning
process
and
that
is
seing
financial
goals
for
what
you
want
in
revenue
from
each
of
those
targets.
It
is
then
a
ques=on
of
determining
the
unique
content
you
can
share
with
those
desired
clients
to
create
a
dialogue.
This
includes
the
frequency
of
contact
laid
out
on
a
six
or
twelve
month
calendar.
This
leads
to
the
decision
of
what
“touches”
to
use.
These
are
the
tac=cs
for
marke=ng
your
business.
The
beauty
of
working
backwards
is
it
becomes
both
a
client
acquisi=on
strategy
and
a
marke=ng
plan.
Most
of
us
get
this
wrong,
we
start
with
the
tac=cs
and
get
lost
in
the
op=ons.
Touches
E-newsletter
White papers
Free workshops
Lunch
Shared charity
Touch Plans
Touch calendar
Proprietary & promotable
content
Client benefits
Revenue Targets
Recurring annuity
Incremental/existing
New/new required
Desired Clients
New/new
New/existing

12. 12
So
many
of
my
clients
come
to
me
and
want
to
talk
about
their
touches
without
dealing
with
objec=ves
and
the
proprietary
content
that
would
interest
clients.
Working
backwards
establishes
in
order
the
objec=ves,
targets,
content
and
communica=ons.
Lets
revisit
the
example
of
the
law
firm
I
recently
worked
with.
How
did
I
use
this
captured
informa=on
in
my
marke=ng
and
how
did
it
impact
my
posi=oning?
I
took
the
informa=on
from
the
law
firm
social
media
work
which
was
absolutely
proprietary
to
me
and
I
packaged
it
into
a
blog
post
with
the
headline
and
insights
about
the
detail
required
in
such
efforts.
It
could
be
a
case
study,
a
paper,
or
even
a
print
ad
but
I
went
that
route.
I
posted
it
on
my
site
and
posi=oned
it
on
Business2Community.
It
was
then
picked
up
by
Yahoo
and
Tweeted
several
hundred
=mes.
I
received
a
request
to
write
an
ar=cle
in
an
industry
publica=on,
gained
a
speaking
engagement
and
received
two
client
inquires.
How
do
you
use
cool
stuff
inven=vely
from
client
engagements
to
make
your
brand
stand
out?
The
four
tangible
conversa=ons
that
came
out
of
this
all
men=oned
that
the
content
was
honest,
relevant
and
valuable.
In
other
words,
it
demonstrated
what
problems
I
actually
solve.
The
prospects
men=oned
that
the
language
was
clear
and
was
free
of
jargon.
My
law
firm
client
thinks
it
is
all
awesome.
It
forces
me
to
check
how
I
am
talking
about
my
own
business.
Given
I
appear
in
media
and
oken
public
speak,
I
have
to
make
sure
that
I
am
not
talking
about
me
and
break
one
of
my
own
principles.

13. 13
You
can
see
if
this
is
all
done
right,
it
can
produce
many
benefits.
It
can
increase
revenue,
allow
you
to
command
a
premium
price,
is
more
efficient
and
effec=ve,
and
con=nues
to
refine
your
posi=oning
appropriately.
Prac=cal
Tac=cs
Here
are
some
=dbits
or
smaller
best
prac=ces
for
your
considera=on.
These
can
be
immediately
implemented.
Not
all
of
us
want
to
write
or
speak
or
burrow
into
other’s
conversa=ons
at
cocktail
par=es.
Yet
we
all
have
unique
stuff
to
share.
Definitely
at
a
bare
minimum
recommenda=ons
you
receive
on
client
work
should
live
on
Linkedin
and
your
website.
But
this
assumes
you
are
even
on
Linkedin
and
that
you
are
asking
for
recommenda=ons.
Pease
do
both.
The
projects
and
job
opportuni=es
that
I
have
been
approached
with
through
Linkedin
have
surprised
me
by
their
quality.
If
you
do
not
want
to
write
blogs
or
papers
then
at
least
comment
on
them
where
you
have
an
opinion.
Add
your
two
cents.
This
worked
for
me
when
I
wrote
into
McKinsey
Quarterly
on
a
marke=ng
piece
that
prompted
a
phonecall
from
the
author.
The
same
happened
in
Harvard
Business
Review.
Next
up
is
to
discover
and
use
MailChimp.
If
you
have
under
2,000
e-­‐mails
you
intend
to
send
to
it
is
free.
I
send
a
monthly
publica=on
out
called
The
Brand
Intelligencer.
MailChimp
makes
it
professional,
easy,
great
looking,
and
it
is
replete
with
metrics
on
opens
and
click-­‐throughs.
Frequently,
I
am
asked
about
social
media
and
where
a
professional
service
should
be.
You
can
really
blow
your
brains
out
trying
to
be
everywhere.
So
determine
through
the
approaches
highlighted
today
where
your
desired
clients
are
most
likely
to
frequent.
There
are
so
many
considera=ons
depending
on
your
business
that
I
cannot
be
more
specific.
However,
think
of
it
as
a
tradeshow
or
conference,
you
may
not
get
a
ton
of
new
business
from
being
there
but
you
will
lose
business
if
you
are
not.
And
you
never
know
what
will
take
off
on
social
media.
I
posted
a
print
campaign
for
Waterstone’s
bookstore
on
Tumblr
and
it
has
been
reblogged
over
3,000
=mes.
That
blog
highlights
my
website
so
a
few
of
those
people
were
prompted
to
check
me
out
further.

14. One
point
I
have
not
made
is
the
need
for
face-­‐to-­‐
face
in
your
marke=ng.
Most
ideas
here
have
leveraged
other
communica=ons
channels.
I
cannot
stress
enough
the
need
to
personally
network,
aHend
conferences,
teach,
public
speak
or
hold
your
own
events.
These
ac=vi=es
communicate
more
personally
what
problems
you
solve
and
shares
more
about
the
person
you
are.
I
was
just
reading
about
the
Via
Group
of
Portland,
Maine,
where
“Once
a
month,
founder-­‐CEO
John
Coleman
organizes
a
get-­‐
together
of
eight
to
10
marke=ng
execu=ves
to
discuss
topics
such
as
technology’s
role
on
the
evolu=on
of
society
and
culture.”
These
can
work
very
well.
If
you
consistently
deliver
them
you
will
become
a
connector
between
businesses.
A
last
=dbit
is
a
print
piece
from
public
rela=ons
firm
Weber
Shandwick
that
is
par=cularly
strong.
They
made
this
available
on
their
site
as
a
PDF
which
is
not
the
most
progressive
form
of
media
but
acknowledges
the
comfort
zone
and
technology
of
their
audiences.
It
is
a
clean
piece
that
uses
clever
copy
to
describe
how
they
do
what
they
do.
It
features
a
series
of
fun
rules
that
are
direct
in
message
and
vibrant
in
image.
It
is
not
the
stodgy,
dated
PR
firm
look
that
one
is
used
to
seeing
in
that
industry.
I
love
that
in
it
they
actually
say
“Hire
Us”.
Wrapping
Up
There
is
much
in
this
paper
to
consider
so
let
me
leave
you
with
a
succinct
summary.
Take
the
=me
to
define
the
problems
your
crea=ve
agency
solves
and
make
all
of
your
branding
and
marke=ng
about
the
clients
you
would
love
to
serve.
Remember
your
brand
is
not
sta=c.
Brands
are
never
fully
built
and
marke=ng
is
an
ongoing
experiment.
Enjoy
the
ride,
have
fun
with
it,
and
experiment
with
confidence.
3
14
Rules of Engagement
2Get Over Yourself
You are not in control of your brand or
message anymore. Today, you share
it with your audience. They shape
your story, how others see you, what
people say about you. They’ll even
write your advertising. In short, they
can make or break you. So don’t talk
at them. Have a conversation instead.
Hire Us
It’s the Engagement Era and we
practice what we preach. While it’s an
uncertain time for many marketers
and agencies, it’s one we’re very
familiar with: Engaging audiences is
what we’ve done since the beginning.
When you engage, you converse.
When you engage, you inspire
advocates. When you engage, you
create movements. It’s actually
what we’ve always done.
And always will.
10
Jeff
Swystun
President
and
Chief
Marke=ng
Officer
416.471.4655