Interactive agencies are masters of technology along with marketing strategy and digital creativity. They can engage both marketing and IT teams to build, deploy, and integrate digital marketing assets from start to finish. To accomplish this, interactive agencies must present themselves as equally credible to both Marketing and IT, so they can help these two departments to come into alignment and focus better on both the customer and the organization.

Today, companies are increasing their investments in digital marketing due to massive changes in customer vectors like mobile and social, which allow them to target marketing all the way down to the local level. There is even new vernacular to capture this idea: MoSoLo. However, all this requires new levels of business process automation that can’t be accomplished without complete buy-in from IT. Eventually, this will move from business process automation to actual marketing automation. And interactive agencies like StudioNorth have been working with marketing automation and brand governance tools for many years.

Many enterprise CEOs are now pushing for an effective partnership between the CMO and CIO.

In addition, marketing budgets are becoming more and more driven by technology. This means that, eventually, IT and Marketing budgets will converge. And social, mobile, and general digital marketing campaigns are becoming closely tied with customer relationship management (CRM) systems and other IT-managed enterprise systems. Already, many enterprise CEOs are now pushing for an effective partnership between the CMO and CIO. This is something that should not be lost on the CIO, who has typically been a risk mitigator, as opposed to the CMO who must take risks to reach a finicky audience. Business leaders can team with interactive agencies to push these two camps beyond collaboration, to begin to co-create new organizations and processes where both departmental teams share ownership of goals and results.

StudioNorth is well-positioned to help your IT and Marketing departments co-create strategies to enable your business growth.

How can we help your departments grow together better?

Code = joy

Technologists are creative, they just don’t realize it. Software engineers, in particular, are among the most creative people in the world. You just need to show it to them. Draw direct lines for them between their code and the unexpected joy users experience when it runs well. Many engineers never see how their software is used. Someone once said, “The ones who can create magic with code are the ones who, one day, will rule the world.” It’s true. Think about the super-successful in America. All have either created technology or used technology extremely adeptly to reach higher than most. We’ve got engineers at StudioNorth who have written some elegantly creative algorithms to meet a UX designer’s requirements. You don’t see the algorithm in the interface you use — you feel what the UX designer wanted. You feel it because the software engineer was able to make electricity move in ways no one else could with a creative approach. The engineer literally wrangled electrons to achieve a specific goal, using a language foreign to most.

Everything is possible

Never accept the response, “That’s not possible.” Because it’s always possible. If you hear that phrase from your technologists, attack it immediately. That phrase is not acceptable here at StudioNorth. In my 11 years I’ve heard it fewer times than I can count on one hand. Those who uttered it more than once no longer work here. Creative technologists just don’t think like that. To be sure, there is a difference between the unreasonable and the impossible, and they should be dealt with differently. If the request is unreasonable, the engineer should not be abused into making it happen in some horrible quality-lacking way. You’ll need to lead the requester in that scenario and reassure the engineer. However, impossible is never a creative response.

Quality is key

Lastly, creativity is delivered by the engineers. They are typically the last, best hope for the agency prove its muster. The engineers must be involved and consulted on the goals and concepts up front so they can add their insight to the process. In the end, they need to produce what the team has designed, pixel for pixel and experience for experience. It needs to do more than just work — it needs to match the original vision the team agreed upon way back in the beginning. The best, most creative engineers strive to do this. It’s a point of pride you should instill and reward. There is no better reward than to have the clients tell the technologist directly how his or her work has made their lives easier.

These are just a few ways to lead technology in a creative agency.

What other ways have you seen engineers flourish in a design environment?
Can you think of other companies that do this well?

Here are three reasons B2B companies may want to consider social media and other online strategies. 

1. It’s how relationships begin. At the end of the day, B2C and B2B are still really P2P, person-to- person. It’s all about relationships, and social media is where relationships are built online. There are plenty of statistics out there on how pervasive social media is: 750 million people on Facebook, 100+ million people on LinkedIn, etc. One of every six minutes spent online is spent at social media sites. You can find plenty of great statistics compiled here and here. People are talking about you and your company already. Don’t you at least want to be part of the conversation?

2. More and more people are going there. The world is changing. More and more time is spent online, and more and more of that time is spent on social networking sites. Don’t just go where the eyeballs are—go where the eyeballs are going. Fortune 500 companies now spend 15-20% of their marketing budgets for online marketing, and that will grow to 25% in 2015. The spend is only now starting to catch up with the proportion of time people spend online. In the UK, it was reported that Internet advertising grew 13% in the first half of 2011, compared to 2010.

3. Companies you would least expect are leveraging social media. Hubspot is a great example of a company that has benefited from this trend. They are basically in the business of helping other businesses generate leads through online strategies. Working with 4,000+ clients, guess how many of those clients are B2B?

66%.

But what about your specific super-niche industry? I’ve heard stories of industrial automation software companies (think software that goes into manufacturing plants) who’ve utilized Hubspot and other similar services to generate dramatic increases in leads. If it works for the 50-year-old manufacturing-quality-engineering-manager sub-niche, it’s quite possible some strategies may work for you as well.

We at StudioNorth also believe that listening is a great, easy, non-threatening way to dip your toe into the water. Type some of your niche industry keywords into http://search.twitter.com or http://www.socialmention.com or even Google’s keyword tool, and see what comes up. You may start to sense that social media has enabled your typical “trade show” booth to become 24-7-365. Time to engage.

Check out this ROI blogging example, as well as these tips for measuring ROI of social media/content marketing. Also, read these 10 examples of successful B2B social media campaigns.

Have you seen other great examples of B2B social media efforts?

The client says to the agency, “Proposal looks good, I’ll get back to you,” which usually signals the kiss of death. Odds are the agency will never hear back from the client on this matter, perhaps because the price or scope missed the mark.

It’s staggering to think of the hours that are put in on these “guestimates” from both sides. Is there a better way?

Over the years, I have developed a process for estimating that saves time and keeps both sides from taking a step backwards. I call it the Red, Yellow, Green Light Approach.

Red, Yellow, Green Light Approach

First, think about each color in a traffic light. Red means stop, yellow means slow down and proceed with caution, and green means go, baby, go! Each of these can be easily applied to estimating.

Red Light Approach – This is used when there is a need with no established budget. It may be a new initiative, an immediate need, or an idea to be run up the flagpole for funding. Usually, these requests come with very vague details on scope.

In these cases, stop. Resist the urge to put hours and resources into a large proposal that will most likely change dramatically once everyone has taken the time to think through the best solution. Try to get a planning budget if possible; otherwise, look at this phase as a budget testing ground. In other words, put a stake in the ground on a high-level scope and budget range to see if everyone is playing in the same ballpark. This will ensure you don’t develop a 12-page proposal with a $100K+ estimate and find out later that $20K is the maximum that can be allocated.

The end deliverable should be a one- to two-page estimate with an objectives paragraph, high-level bullet points describing the scope, and a budget range. It should also contain a clause that mentions the proposed budget is currently based on “past projects of a similar nature,” and that “a final estimate will be delivered after a proper discovery session.”

This initial estimate can be turned around in one or two hours and is an excellent starting point for “red light” type requests. It allows the client to begin making informed decisions on scope details and the reality of assigned budgets.

Yellow Light Approach – This is when a need is scoped and a budget has been allocated. However, the client may not feel comfortable sharing the budget with the agency and prefers to wait and see other proposals that are submitted. From an agency standpoint, you can feel good that a budget is defined; this means it’s a real project that will be awarded to someone.

In these cases, it’s okay to put the time and resources into a proper proposal. The agency should acknowledge it understands there is a budget and respects the fact that the client would like to keep it confidential until all proposals are turned in. However, here is the most important part: The agency and client should agree that once the proposals are turned in, the client will then share the budget. In other words, the agency shows its cards first, and in return, the client must show its cards. By doing this, both parties avoid the all too common “Proposal-looks-good-I’ll-get-back-to-you” kiss of death.

The end deliverable should be a fairly well-detailed proposal (several pages if necessary) along with an initial budget range. Again, spell out that the proposed budget is currently based on “past projects of a similar nature” and that “a final estimate will be delivered after a proper discovery session.”

After the agency presents its proposed estimates and the client, in turn, shares the budget, it’s much easier and more efficient when discussing the gaps and eliminating any “guesstimating” in the next round. This is a fair way for both parties to enter into an estimating “yellow light” scenario.

Green Light – This one is easy, and it’s what we all desire. It’s when full transparency exists between the client and agency. It allows the client to be completely candid about the budget up front and share clear direction on the initial scope of a project or program. In this case, the agency should throw everything at the proposal in an effort to win the defined prize.

Obey the Law

Just like driving, you aren’t going to gun your engines for a red or yellow light, so don’t do it in estimating. The mistakes we make are when we treat every opportunity as a “green light” scenario. Throwing all your time and resources into a red or yellow light scenario wastes valuable time for both client and agency.

We all want to get to the point when we can start the work and partner to attain great results. The next time you’re presented with an opportunity to solicit bids or are in the position of bidding, rate the opportunity against this scale and follow accordingly. You’ll always be in drive and never in reverse.

What did you call me?

The word “innovative” can carry a stigma that discourages clients or coworkers from applying it. How many times have you heard statements like “I have an idea, but I’m not innovative”?  This moniker carries a pressure and responsibility that scares people away from embracing it. Additionally, a typical response to lighten this weight may be, “We’re all innovative,” which can be perceived as insincere or dismissive. After all, how can we all be on par with Thomas Edison? It’s essential to stop comparing yourself to these lofty standards and quit judging your ideas against the finished work of these innovation icons.

Face value

Actually, innovation may be happening right in front of you, exhibited by your coworkers and the roles they play. Awareness, recognition, and support of its existence are keys to bringing innovation to life and putting a “human face” on it. Thomas Kelley and Jonathan Littman define these roles as “personas” in their book The Ten Faces of Innovation. The book defines and categorizes ten roles that provide guidance in the cultivation of innovation in your company.

“Being innovation”

Upon reviewing this book and the definitions, I immediately sat down and matched the actual faces of StudioNorth with the various personas. This was an insightful exercise that brought a realization of how each person comprises innovation within our organization. We need to nurture their roles by recognizing and celebrating their value as we strive to provide innovative solutions to our clients. Innovation is about our people and the many talents and perspectives that embody StudioNorth.

As Kelley summarizes in his book, the personas are about “being innovation” rather than merely “doing innovation.”

The next time someone says, “I’m not innovative,” apply the persona definition and show them the importance of their specific role in driving innovation. Also, you should identify and fill the missing roles to establish an effective culture of innovation.

How many “faces of innovation” do you recognize in your organization?

Here are some life lessons from some of my own mentors or bosses who live genuinely through “authentic communications.”

1. Assume positive intent. I’ve used this term time and again. How easy it is for us, as humans, to assume someone is trying to “stick it to us,” or to think that someone has an ulterior motive. But in reality, most people don’t wake up in the morning and say, “I’m going to make life difficult for that person.” Instead, when faced with conflict at work, in the community, or at home, assume positive intentions and motives. Don’t be defensive, and seek to understand another’s viewpoint before making harsh comebacks. The issue is rarely what it appears to be.
2. Don’t give it oxygen. You’ve seen the drama. Maybe it’s a disagreement at a board meeting, a hostile employee, or worse, an irritated customer. The worst thing you can do is give in and engage in the drama. No one wins in this scenario. Instead, remain calm, cool, and collected. Use facts and a genuine, caring approach to resolve the issue. You may even take the high road — agree to disagree and move on.
3. Let “no” mean “no.”  Sometimes in life, it’s easy to fall into the “invincible” trap, where you think you can handle it all. It is okay to say no… to the client who wants more product in an unrealistic timeframe… to your child who is begging to stay up late… to the organization who wants more of your time. We all have limitations and boundaries, and we need to be aware of them and express them.
4. Be charitable… even when it’s difficult. We all have people in our lives that are the proverbial “thorn in our side.” Those who look at you the wrong way. Those who make your work less fun. Those who are constantly hoping you fail (remember point number 1). While it’s not necessary to be their friend, it is important to be charitable. This may mean offering a sincere thank-you, a smile, a word of encouragement, or a helpful hand. Loving your enemy may be the best free therapy you could ever receive.
5. Don’t sweat the small stuff; it could be a lot worse. Keep life in perspective. There’s always someone in more dire circumstances.
6. Be true to yourself — don’t sacrifice your values. Often it’s easy to stay quiet, turn your cheek, and walk away. But try to remember what gets you out of bed every day. Be true to those values that shape your existence. If it means defending the “small guy” or promoting the right cause, just do it, if it’s what you believe.
7. Look for good in all people. Everyone inherently has good in them. Peel the onion. Look in all the unexpected places. You’ll be surprised at the hint of light that can shine from all people.
8. Shine through example, not words. One of my favorite mentors once said to me, “Illuminating joy in what you do naturally attracts.” Think about this: Whether you’re a mom, dad, business owner, customer, or community advocate, you have the ability to allow joy and happiness to shine through your behaviors and actions. And, you will do amazing things when people are attracted to you. If you feel your work is drudgery, you will convey drudgery, and no one will want to be around you. Hence, it will yield few results in your life’s mission.
9. Be thankful… in all circumstances, even if it feels there is nothing to be thankful for.
10. Be real. One of my friends always says this, “People just need to be real with each other.” Let down your guard, and humbly admit your shortcomings now and then. It’s amazing how many people you can win over, which will allow you to do great things in this world.

So to all business owners, executives, and people who want to reduce the conflict in their lives and make a difference in this world, l hope these words from my own mentors offer some practical tips in authentic communications.

What lessons have you learned on authentic communications?

Validation. We all need it. Reassurance in our lives, relationships, and deliverables gives us the confidence we need to survive in this unstable, ever-changing world. But, how can validation help us in the world of B2B marketing?

Validating concepts and messaging with internal stakeholders is a common practice. We do it to get internal buy-in (and spread out the responsibility if something goes wrong). In most cases, the feedback from internal stakeholders can be entirely too subjective, i.e., based on personal preferences or how we perceive customer wants and needs. This can often result in a watered-down concept driven by collective agreement or the loudest or most senior person on the team.

If you want a truly objective point of view that will increase your chances for success, spend the time to validate marketing ideas with your external stakeholders.

Validating ideas externally gives you more insight about customer preferences based on their reactions. It can drive higher effectiveness in key areas such as:

• Believability (credibility)
• Differentiation
• Relevance

Many B2B companies feel this step is too complicated or adds too much time to the overall process. If you are one of these companies, remember that external stakeholder validation will deliver 0bjective feedback, which can set you free from endless rounds of internal revisions, ultimately minimizing time in the overall process.

The Validation Process

External stakeholder validation can be used for many marketing objectives. Currently, we tend to use it most for messaging and concept development. Companies invest significant amounts of time and budget crafting these critical pieces of their B2B marketing materials, yet completely skip external stakeholder validation.

In the case of messaging, you can test a variety of  core positioning and supporting statements to determine which resonate most with your stakeholders. Creative concepts should be validated individually with a supporting written rationale that explains the business objectives.

While budgets and time may not allow for conducting qualitative and quantitative research, there is a simpler process we use to gain fast, relevant, customer-driven data:

In each case, this validation process can be completed in 2–3 days and is an effective way to move your approval process to a more objective state.

Once this information is collected and refinements are made, you can confidently present your ideas knowing that any internal personal preferences can be neutralized with outside data generated directly from your customers. This will speed the process, reduce costs, and increase your chances for better results.

Additional methods for conducting and improving results for external stakeholder validation include:

• Conducting validation on-site at tradeshows
• Developing a Customer Advisory Board that meets several times a year
• Working with placement firms (headhunters) to develop lists of potential audience groups for validation
• Offering a drawing (prize give-away) for all who participate

Stop Guessing

External stakeholder validation takes away some of the guessing and internal group-think prior to launching anything into the market. As part of your regular process, it will save you time and money, and increase your likelihood of success.

In return, you may be properly “validated” by your boss for the wonderful job you’re doing!

To learn more about messaging or concept validation techniques, feel free to contact me at any time. I’m happy to share stories, answer questions, or develop a program for you.

What I find the most interesting about Pinterest is that it is actually quite different from all of the other major social media sites. Here are five ways it’s completely different from Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn:

1. Pinterest lets users curate content in a new way, but users cannot create content. On all other social networks, you can post a picture and write a little (or big) status update. You can’t do that on Pinterest — you can only “pin” things that appear elsewhere on the web. [UPDATE: I stand corrected.  As Brianna correctly mentions below, you can "create" new content right on Pinterest.  It's not as common, but it is possible]
2. Pinterest recognizes that people are complex and multi-dimensional. It’s interest-based, not person-based. Take me, for example. I’m interested in things as broad as being a dad, social entrepreneurship, poverty, sports, crossfit, the Paleo diet, social media, online advertising, and playing the accordion. And compared to others I know, I’m pretty boring. So, if you happened to follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’d get all that goodness. On Pinterest, you can just follow specific areas of interest (i.e., “boards”).
3. Pinterest lets users express themselves in a new way— not just in what content to curate, but how to organize the buckets of content. Other social networks give you a museum, and you fill it up with paintings. Pinterest gives you a big open space and lets you figure out where to build the walls and then put up the paintings. This might be my feature of Pinterest — it’s not only that I can pin awesome content to my “Being a Dad” board, it’s that I could choose to create a Being a Dad” board in the first place. It is utterly fascinating to see how cleverly others have created boards.  Some of note: Do the Do, Home Sweet Africa, Groovy Moods, and Trips to India. We’ve even been using Pinterest internally to share design inspiration among the team at Creatology.
4. Pinterest requires your content to be visual. If you try to share a page without an image or video, it won’t even let you. Wow.
5. Pinterest early adopters are women, not men. Some data suggests that 97% of Pinterest fans on Facebook are female. When Google+ and Twitter first launched, they were filled with male engineers, IT professionals, and the like. Pinterest is almost the polar opposite of that.

When I look past all the hype, what I see for businesses is this: Social media rewards businesses who think of themselves as publishers and curators of compelling content. The more compelling the content, the more likely it is to go social. Pinterest just continues this trend, enabling individuals and businesses a creative new set of social tools to share content. When businesses ask me, “So, what should I do with Pinterest?” here are some principles to start thinking about:

1. Visual content is more important than ever (just like headlines are important, so now is the square thumbnail image). In fact, some say that Pinterest has “changed web design forever.”  Make your content visually and emotionally appealing. Words — even the sweetest, most eloquent ever written — can only take you so far.
2. Infographics are more important than ever, too. Infographics are already one of the most shared type of content out there. They’re just so darn tweetable that most tweeters just can’t resist. Well, infographics are so pin-able, too.
3. People can experience your brand in a new way. Put your creative hat on and think about what broader topics and interests your customers have. Why not create boards for those areas and become known as a go-to place for great information? Put some creativity into coming up with unique, different board topics.
4. Collaboration on boards will create new ways for businesses and customers to interact. Since Pinterest allows you to collaborate on specific boards, I could see businesses working with customers and partners to build common interest boards. It’d sort of be like opening up your Facebook wall to posts from anyone, except now you’re creating visual galleries. I’d love to see specific boards of customers using a company’s product in new, creative ways.

What do you think? Is Pinterest just another flash in the pan, or is it onto something much more that will change the game?

If you have not already started to develop your mobile strategy, you’re falling behind. From what we see, B2B is falling well behind the curve compared to B2C in the mobile race. Of course, this also presents an opportunity to take a mobile leadership position in your B2B market. By addressing your company’s mobile strategy today, you stand to gain an advantage over your competitors and increase market share.

With any mobile strategy, there are plenty of decisions to make. To get started, I recommend you focus on the following three areas:

• Optimize your existing web assets for mobile devices (smart phones and tablets).
• Develop a permission-based MMS/SMS list (otherwise known as distribution list for text messaging).
• Get in the app game…start thinking about apps that will make an impact on your business.

For the purposes of this blog, I’ll dive a bit deeper into the first area, optimizing existing web assets for mobile.

Optimize Your Current Investments

This is important as most companies have not yet optimized their web content for mobile (smart phones and tablets). Businesses are losing mobile visitors every day simply because their current desktop websites are translating poorly to mobile devices. When your website is not optimized for mobile, the user—your customer—may be forced to read small text, or have to fumble through navigation designed for mouse clicks, not for touch screen technology. Think about it: How many times have you found yourself in a similar position while accessing the web on your mobile device? It can leave you very frustrated, which can also lead to poor brand perception and lost opportunity.

As a first step, use your smart phone to compare the mobile user experience of your website to that of your competition. You’ll see quickly if you’re ahead of the game or if you are falling behind. Don’t have a smart phone handy? No problem. Just look up “mobile emulators” with a desktop search engine and you’ll find dozens of links to sites that will show you how your web site looks when viewed on a mobile device. This is a good thing to share at your next marketing meeting if you’re facing opposition to converting your web assets to mobile.

Don’t Get Left Behind

As mentioned above, there are many other mobile strategies to explore, including test-based marketing, app development, and location-based marketing. With mobile audiences growing every day, developing your strategy is more critical than ever.

StudioNorth offers guidance in all areas of mobile development. Feel free to call me any time for a personal mobile assessment or to schedule a 30-minute mobile strategy educational seminar for your company. Don’t get left behind!

*Source – Morgan Stanley