Your branding is sometimes as important to your business as the end results you deliver. It is typically the first thing your customers see and can speak volumes about how your company does business. If you have a hodge-podge of looks and logos, your audience isn’t going to be as trustworthy of your brand. Branding your web and social properties should be as important to your company as the content that goes into them.
Gr8t Time for a Relevant Email
April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Fans were ecstatic last night when the University of Kentucky took home its eighth National Title. At the party where my friends and I gathered to watch the game, there was even talk of heading downtown to look for National Championship t-shirts immediately after the game ended. College Basketball Store made it even easier than that, for fans in Lexington or out-of-town–with a relevant and timely email hitting customer’s inbox at 11:48 p.m. EDT, just as the buzzer went off to signal the Cat’s big win.
Congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats!
ExactTarget Security Changes
March 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Security changes take effect April 16th. Are you ready?
As you may know by now, ExactTarget has taken the initiative to protect all its customers with advanced security measures that will keep your customers’ data even more secure. So what does this mean for you? Change can be scary, but we promise this will be pain-free and we’ll walk you through the process, so you’ll be ready to make the switch.
The interest in Pinterest
March 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I’m embarrassed to admit that I originally formed an account on Pinterest, the virtual pinboard that lets you share things you find on the web, out of boredom. I saw it as a way to collect recipes or suggestions for home decorating–sort of a virtual scrapbook of ideas. It wasn’t until recently that I began exploring the business application of Pinterest.
Personal Brand Part 4
March 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Jason Meeker, Information Architect
Well, I’m bringing up the rear which makes my post a little bit more difficult. Not only do I have to tell you about my personal brand, but I have to wrap up the series with a big finish.
Culture of Giving
March 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
All companies want to support the communities they serve. At Bluegrass Hospitality Group, they’ve turned this desire to make a difference into an entire company culture of giving.
Personal Brand Part 3
March 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Bill Powell, Inspiration Specialist
First thing to know about me is that I don’t take myself too seriously, but I do take the work I do seriously. I am by nature a people person who enjoys having a 10 minute conversation in about 5 minutes.
My strength is in the details, but that is also where my weakness lies. I love solving problems and getting to the bottom of challenges. Like most creative people, I am distracted easily, which is a superior strength in the brainstorming process, but can hinder you when writing code.
To avoid this detail dilemma, I surround myself with a talented team of people.
What I do
I choreograph creative solutions, which often are technical issues in what I’m working on at the moment. So, in essence, I am a problem solver–which is what I love. When I first started out of college as a designer and production artist I was THE creative person and technical expert. People came to me for the creative or technical solution. Cutting my teeth on this allowed me to be a better ‘art director’ and I occasionally will still pick up the pencil (or mouse) to design, but more often than not I am working with a team of people to solve the problem.
Why I do what I do
I think I’m good at what I do because I am a tough sell. I consider every purchase I make with utmost care and try to avoid one of the few terms that stick out to me from marketing class: “cognitive dissonance.” Cognitive dissonance is when you have that second thought that it might have been better to ‘not buy’ something. Sometimes the rush of buying something creates an artificial euphoria that wears off–and when it does, will create regret for the purchase.
This over-analysis of my personal buying decisions allows me to come up with well-crafted, non-manipulative messaging that works–and that I love.
Favorite service offered
Learning and teaching. Sounds corny and cliché, but I really like helping people. I feel that with the sophistication of the tools available, if I can help one of my clients learn how to use and maximize that tool, then I have been successful. Then my job is to learn about how all the new tools can make things better for my clients. And that is what I spend my time doing–learning.
Words to describe me
Problem solver. Goof-off. Great father. Good husband. Out-going. Talkative. Passionate.
My weakness
Like Christina, I also procrastinate. I feel that I do my best work under pressure, so for some reason I am always waiting ’til the last hour to come through.
On a personal note
I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and left there when I came to Lexington to attend the University of Kentucky. I graduated from UK in 1996 with a BS in Journalism, which is ironic because I would rather do anything than write. If pictures are worth a thousand words, then designers can craft thousands of words with their design.
My favorite quote (of the moment)
“Success seems connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” -Conrad Hilton
Data Driven Campaigns :: Webinar Recap and Resources
March 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Thanks to all those who joined us Tuesday for the webinar: Data Driven Campaigns. You’ll find a list of resources below on how to use customer data to create engaging, targeted messages. In case you missed the webinar, we’ve also included a recorded version for your review.
“Listen to your audience. Creativity and determination will guide you to the data. Using it is the fun part.”
- Lisa Wester, Intelligence Director at Inbox Orange
Based on our own experience, we’d like to share a few helpful tips:
- Utilize the 200 attributes within your ExactTarget account. That is a minimum of 200 ways to segment your audience!
- Integrate external data sources into your account using a unique identifier (Email or Subscriber ID)
- Listen to your team. Incorporate insight from the front line.
- Update Profile Center. Ask questions over time to understand interest, history, demographics, etc.
- Map touch points from your audience point-of-view. What is missing? Where can you close the gap?
- Create personalized campaigns and experiences throughout the product life cycle that add value.
- Measure results. Track trending with key performance indicators (KPI) over time within a spreadsheet or online dashboard.
- Tweak, tweak and tweak. Continue to listen through all aspects of the life cycle and always follow best practices.
Helpful Resources within the Industry
- ExactTarget > From B2B to B2C You are Still Dealing with An Individual
- Book > Managing the Customer Experience
- Marketing Profs > How to Create an Actionable Marketing Dashboard (and Why You Need One)
Excellent Hands- On Tutorials within ExactTarget 3Sixty
Sorry….ExactTarget customers only:
- Learn > Search > Groups Tutorial
- Learn > Search > Simple Automated Send Tutorial
- Learn > Search > A/B Testing Tutorial
- Learn > Search > Profile and Preference Management Tutorial
Inbox Orange Recorded Webinars & Resources
As always, please let us know if you have any questions or if we can assist you in any way.
Personal Brand Part 2
March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Christina Noll, Influence Architect
As you can imagine, Lisa is a tough act to follow. She brings energy and enthusiasm to every project–something that inspires the rest us on a daily basis. Capturing that passion and delivering results to our clients is what we’re all about–and it’s why I’m proud to be part of the Inbox Orange team.
Personal Brand
March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Lisa Wester, Intelligence Director
It may be coincidental but prior to writing this post I participated in an interview with a prospect. The conversation was casual, friendly and enjoyable but in the process of “selling” the services of Inbox Orange, LLC, I realized I was unintentionally describing my personal brand. It’s something we do every day without ever realizing it.
