We created a “mini” version of our office at the Marketing Expo last night. A good time was had by everyone!
When I design a logo, I design it first in black and white. A strong logo needs to be able to stand alone without color. However, that’s not to say that color doesn’t matter. Rarely would I ever base an entire brand off of black and white. Color is what makes a brand recognizable and interesting. There’s a psychology to each and every color out there, as they all evoke certain characteristics and feelings. Color can create peace, or it can create tension. Make you hungry, or make you sleepy. It can also make you purchase one thing over another. I recently found this infographic that shows how colors can affect a consumer’s buying habits which I found really interesting. Most people don’t put too much thought into color, maybe now it’ll be realized that color does matter!
Infographic from KissMetrics. Click image for link.
Join us Tuesday January 24th from 4:00 – 7:00 at the Ramada Conference Center.
Marketing is a piece of cake. At least that’s what I told myself. What I thought marketing was, when I started here at markit, reinforces the old saying: “All I know is that I don’t know nothing.” What I did know was just a scratch on the surface, and I only worked with the mechanics behind what marketing’s true purpose and role is.
I understood the basics of having a brand, a tag line, and making everything consistent in all things visual. With the last week of being asked to dig into recent major PR and Marketing Campaigns of some big-named brands, my eyes have been opened to the vast depth that marketing takes a company.
I began with Nivea’s 2011 $1.2 Billion Global Campaign. Yes, $1.2 BILLION! I also turned my lens to Anthropologie, and the Syfy Channel. Not every company has millions, or even billions, to throw at marketing, but the principles I found can be applied to any sized business.
First, know who you are. Simple. Basic. Know your brand, why you exist. What makes you different from your competition. I can get a burger at dozens of locations here in Rochester, and each one is unique. It might not be the burger that’s unique, but the staff, the atmosphere, the fries, or even the view can be important to your brand and what you offer. It sets you apart from everyone else. Capitalize on that.
Second, know who your customer is. Nivea spent months researching and defining their customer’s skin type; they created five categories of skin types and compiled personality profiles for each one. You have to understand who your customer is to a depth that would give you a frame of mind that you begin to see through their eyes. Who is the type of woman who shops at Anthropologie? What are her hobbies? What does she read? Does she read, or does she watch tv? What would her favorite website be? When you understand your customer to this type of level, you can make a connection to them, and speak in their language. You cross a great divide that puts their trust, loyalty, and business into your hands.
Lastly, customer service is more important now than it ever has been. Let me put it this way: Be the same on the inside as you are on the outside of your walls. If you preach to your customers that your company cares about them, and then have call centers that leave everyone furious, you have broken their trust. If you have a core value of integrity, and your work ethics are less than admirable, you will fail. In this time, you truly need to put your money where your mouth is. With word-of-mouth that travels at the speed of light, you can not play damage control like before. An apology on YouTube doesn’t cut it. People communicate in so many forms, your customers will know about a bad cashier before you any day. All it takes is one text, one blog post, one message on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, etc.
Last week I had only seen just the tip of the iceberg that is marketing. Knowing your brand, knowing your customer, and customer service. Three steps that make the difference between those companies that survive and thrive, and those that fall away.
Every year, markit splits into two teams and each team picks 10 of our clients to deliver gifts to. We’re timed and on a budget, and judged by one hand-picked client who chooses the team with the best delivery and gift. This year both teams put up a good fight. Team B wowed our clients with a special edition markit cookbook, cookie-in-a-jar packages, santa hat delicious treats, and custom made tissue paper. They got sentimental and wrote a lovely poem which they all took turns reciting – kudos!
But THE A TEAM brought home the bacon! Complete with elf hats, mustaches, and a little ol’ song and dance we rocked our judges socks off! Team A presented our judges with a fine tuned rendition of “Jingle Bells” and Love Letters signs made by our very own Graphics Gal, Whitney. We inserted their logos into photos on the signs – and they were a HUGE hit.
It’s nice to honor our clients that keep us working so hard throughout the year. markit would be nothing without them and we are so thankful and blessed to have clients that we love!
A special thanks to Bobbi for being our judge in for the holiday battle!
Well, it has almost been 2 years working at markit and I was recently asked to reflect. First of all, it does not seem like that long. We work at a very high level in a fast pace environment that makes time fly. Working with every client that we are associated with has been a blast. We get to work everyday with different industries and specialties. It keeps me on my toes to say the least. Over the past 2 years I have never stopped learning and I don’t plan on it now. Each and everyday holds a different challenge with a different client. That is one of the best parts of the gig here. We come to work expecting to learn every day.
I cannot mention the past 2 years without discussing our team. It has been a great experience working with such a talented team. That is one of the key advantages of working with markit. Our clients get the whole team, not just one or two of us. It has been truly great experience and I hope to never to stop learning.
Well, that’s how it feels when there is so much love and labour (English spelling for all the Brits here) put into creating a new website. We want to reveal to all of you a website that we are very proud of, and you might learn something new about Door Engineering! You might even see their awesome Four Fold Doors if you drive down South Broadway in Rochester at the Fire Station!
The infograph below is a very interesting exposé into how we can sometimes be typecast by the choices we make. The survey was taken online at hunch.com, with over 15,000 participants. It’s probably not the most scientific/objective research purely based from a website that a certain demographic might visit, but the results are fun and insightful nonetheless. Enjoy!
This past summer, Project 10 was created in celebration of markit’s 10th Anniversary and the hunt began for a project that they could feel passionate about, and lend their expertise to. The search ended after several members of the markit team attended events hosted by Leadership Greater Rochester to raise awareness for homeless youth. “To think that there is even one child in our community that doesn’t have a place to sleep at night just turns my stomach”, says Julie Hedlund, a markit employee and LGR graduate in 2011.
markit connected with, Melissa Brandt, the Students-In-Transition Coordinator for Rochester Public Schools. They learned that every county has a school district employee assigned to assisting homeless youth in their district. Most have no support and lack the knowledge to even identify these students. Melissa was putting together an event that would bring these individuals together from southern Minnesota’s 20 county area. The goal was to help them better understand their role and to give them tools for providing services to students dealing with homelessness.
Reactions from markit employees say it all. Travis Lyne noted, “Project 10 shows that area businesses have more to offer than money. Utilizing the talent within a business proves to be just as valuable.”
Eric Froiland had this to say about Project 10 “This was a team effort for mark!t and Melissa; it was a great way to get involved while taking responsibility to see results from our efforts.”
AJ Montpetit says “I am proud of what markit accomplished, and what we did as a team to assist in this educational conference. The benefits will reach far beyond Rochester.”
Whitney Bestor commented “We were able to use our talent, skill and markit’s ten years of experience to contribute to a more than worthy cause that wouldn’t otherwise get the help it deserves. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate such a milestone anniversary!”
Project 10. The name is pretty snappy, don’t you think?
We recognized something momentous was coming in September: the 10 year anniversary of markit. So we wanted to do something, well, different. We didn’t throw a big party, or go on a highfalutin trip somewhere tropical. With Nickie and the team together, we all decided that we wanted to give something back, and use our talents to help make our community a little better. So we cam up with the idea for Project 10.
The concept was simple: 10 employees, over 10 days, give 10 hours of their time to help a group/charity in need. Well, we ran into a snag when we really had 12 employees, but we were able to overlook it! Through Julie’s time at Leadership Greater Rochester (more), she learned about the need in Rochester, and Southern Minnesota, of Youth In Transition. Through the changes in Federal Law, in particular the Mckinney-Vento Law, many students in the School Districts could qualify for aid and help that they were formerly unaware of.
We met with the Rochester Public School District Students In Transition Coordinator, Melissa, and found an area were we could be of great help. There are 56 liaisons for the Southern Minnesota School Districts that are assigned to identify, assist, and equip Youth In Transition that qualify under Mckinney-Vento. Melissa was trying to coordinate an educational conference for all the liaisons to become more educated on the qualifications under Mckinney-Vento, and to help them get ready for a truly practical equipping of handling their roles.
Look for Part Two soon to learn more.
