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It's been a busy summer at Mangold Creative! We've been pushing up our sleeves and getting busy with some great client projects, including two new websites launched this past week. Hope you enjoy!
Both are fantastic clients, with service-oriented cultures and a great deal of experience!
www.TrishJohnsonInteriors.com
by Heather N. Mangold, MBA on August 23rd, 2011
by Heather N. Mangold, MBA on June 29th, 2011
I spent yesterday afternoon with a colleague from Oak Hill Business Partners and a client crafting a new vision statement. After a few hours of great conversation, brainstorming and wordsmithing, we boiled it down to just three words.
What are they? You’ll have to check back for that one after we relaunch the brand. For now, you’ll have to be content with a little banter from me.
But, that session got me thinking. Every great organization should have a battle cry - a short, concise statement that concretes your vision and pushes you forward each day. It can be an internal mantra or proclaimed to the world to position your brand. Some examples...
Ready to come up with that memorable phrase that will carry you into the future? Where do you start? Here are a few rules to follow when crafting your battle cry....
K.I.S.S. (the good 'ol Keep It Simple Stupid rule)
We’ve all seen the mission statements that drone on about value, service, and commitment to something-or-another. A battle cry should be short, concise, repeatable. If you can’t memorize it in 10 seconds and say it in under 4, its too long.
Show Restraint
We all have multiple goals we want to achieve, but when crafting your battle cry, try to limit it to a single, global focus. You may have “sub-cry’s” that fall under the main objective...but always aim to create a clear overall statement for success.
Paint a Picture
When crafting a battle cry, use forward-thinking, visual language that paints a picture for what you want to accomplish. Choose your words wisely and use language that fits your personality and common vernacular. If it is a word or phrase you wouldn’t use in everyday language, think twice before declaring it your cry.
Make it Contagious
“An Army of One” might be the slogan for our nation’s forces, but in business and in life we rarely accomplish things on our own. Make your vision for the future known and shared throughout your organization...and reflect that contagious attitude in your battle cry.
Invoke Emotion and Confidence
Like that perfect drive, straight down the fairway, fitting perfectly into your favorite dress or hitting “Send” to submit a well-crafted proposal to a client, a battle cry should make you FEEL. Feel what? That depends on your vision, but you’ll know when you have the right phrase because it will hit you square in the heart, mind and gut.
Need help crafting that cry? We'd love to talk more!
What are they? You’ll have to check back for that one after we relaunch the brand. For now, you’ll have to be content with a little banter from me.
But, that session got me thinking. Every great organization should have a battle cry - a short, concise statement that concretes your vision and pushes you forward each day. It can be an internal mantra or proclaimed to the world to position your brand. Some examples...
“Always low prices, ALWAYS.” Walmart
“The happiest place on Earth.” Disney World
Or, the informal corporate mantra of Google.... “Don’t be Evil!”
Even Henry Ford in 1929 described the mass-production he
envisioned by saying “Build a car that my workers can afford.”
Ready to come up with that memorable phrase that will carry you into the future? Where do you start? Here are a few rules to follow when crafting your battle cry....
K.I.S.S. (the good 'ol Keep It Simple Stupid rule)
We’ve all seen the mission statements that drone on about value, service, and commitment to something-or-another. A battle cry should be short, concise, repeatable. If you can’t memorize it in 10 seconds and say it in under 4, its too long.
Show Restraint
We all have multiple goals we want to achieve, but when crafting your battle cry, try to limit it to a single, global focus. You may have “sub-cry’s” that fall under the main objective...but always aim to create a clear overall statement for success.
Paint a Picture
When crafting a battle cry, use forward-thinking, visual language that paints a picture for what you want to accomplish. Choose your words wisely and use language that fits your personality and common vernacular. If it is a word or phrase you wouldn’t use in everyday language, think twice before declaring it your cry.
Make it Contagious
“An Army of One” might be the slogan for our nation’s forces, but in business and in life we rarely accomplish things on our own. Make your vision for the future known and shared throughout your organization...and reflect that contagious attitude in your battle cry.
Invoke Emotion and Confidence
Like that perfect drive, straight down the fairway, fitting perfectly into your favorite dress or hitting “Send” to submit a well-crafted proposal to a client, a battle cry should make you FEEL. Feel what? That depends on your vision, but you’ll know when you have the right phrase because it will hit you square in the heart, mind and gut.
Need help crafting that cry? We'd love to talk more!
by Heather N. Mangold, MBA on April 28th, 2011
We’ve all heard the stories. The shoemaker’s children have no shoes, the handyman’s wife is tearing her hair out getting her husband to do the most menial of home improvements, the personal trainer hit McDonalds on the way home.
Well, here it is. My dirty secret.
I haven’t posted on my blog since February 22nd.
I know! Shameful! And, it gets worse - my last post was all about analytics behind your site and how valuable a regularly updated blog is!
Truth is, we’ve been incredibly blessed as a business the past few months. Some big updates and announcements in store, as well as unveiling some great new client brands! And, with a 1 year anniversary around the corner - there’s much to celebrate!
But this confession begs the question, what’s being put on the back burner in your business?
What are the goals you have for the next year and how are you going to achieve them?
I met a wonderful business owner earlier this week who shared a 1 page document with me, painting a picture of what his business will look like in 1 year - department by department. The goals are aggressive, but very achievable. And by starting with a snapshot of where they WANT to be in a year, they can then go back from that point and put an action plan into place to GET them there.
It reminded me of a wonderful talk I heard a few years back at the Missouri Hospital Association conference. A well-respected conductor and orchestral college professor, Benjamin Zander, shared his approach to teaching. At the beginning of the school year, he asks his students to write a letter around this premise: “This is how I earned an A.” He asks his pupils to stretch their minds, visualize their final grade in his class, and map out how they achieved a top grade. What an excellent exercise!
At the end of the day, if you don’t achieve that A, it’s only because you’ve failed by your own standards.
So I ask myself, and you, where do you want your business to be 12 months from now? How will you “get your A?” Will you have you made improvements in your brand image, your message, and your targeted marketing efforts?
We’re getting to work mapping out goals for Mangold Creative in the next 12 months, and would love to help you put some framework around where your brand will be in 365 days. For more information or a cup of coffee to discuss your aggressive but achievable goals, give us a call. We’d love to help you reach your full brand potential.
Well, here it is. My dirty secret.
I haven’t posted on my blog since February 22nd.
I know! Shameful! And, it gets worse - my last post was all about analytics behind your site and how valuable a regularly updated blog is!
Truth is, we’ve been incredibly blessed as a business the past few months. Some big updates and announcements in store, as well as unveiling some great new client brands! And, with a 1 year anniversary around the corner - there’s much to celebrate!
But this confession begs the question, what’s being put on the back burner in your business?
What are the goals you have for the next year and how are you going to achieve them?
I met a wonderful business owner earlier this week who shared a 1 page document with me, painting a picture of what his business will look like in 1 year - department by department. The goals are aggressive, but very achievable. And by starting with a snapshot of where they WANT to be in a year, they can then go back from that point and put an action plan into place to GET them there.
It reminded me of a wonderful talk I heard a few years back at the Missouri Hospital Association conference. A well-respected conductor and orchestral college professor, Benjamin Zander, shared his approach to teaching. At the beginning of the school year, he asks his students to write a letter around this premise: “This is how I earned an A.” He asks his pupils to stretch their minds, visualize their final grade in his class, and map out how they achieved a top grade. What an excellent exercise!
At the end of the day, if you don’t achieve that A, it’s only because you’ve failed by your own standards.
So I ask myself, and you, where do you want your business to be 12 months from now? How will you “get your A?” Will you have you made improvements in your brand image, your message, and your targeted marketing efforts?
We’re getting to work mapping out goals for Mangold Creative in the next 12 months, and would love to help you put some framework around where your brand will be in 365 days. For more information or a cup of coffee to discuss your aggressive but achievable goals, give us a call. We’d love to help you reach your full brand potential.
by Heather N. Mangold, MBA on February 22nd, 2011
Are you watching your web traffic? Do you know what drives people to your site? And what keeps them sticking around once they get there?I’d argue that a good website is the centerpiece of any strong marketing strategy. But how do you take your website past design and move content to the next level, driving traffic to your site and your business?
By analyzing the hard numbers and data behind your site, you can better understand the mindset of your customers. If you haven’t integrated an analytics or tracking mechanism like Google Analytics into your web strategy, its time to start. Analytics programs not only help you to monitor overall site traffic, they help you drill down to find out critical information like:
Search Terms - What people were looking for in an organic Google (or other) search that brought them to your site
On-site Traffic Patterns - What pages are more frequently visited, how long do people spend on different pages of the site, etc.
Geographic Reach - The reach of your website traffic, drilled down by country, region, state and city
Referring Sites - Most traffic driven to your page from another website
Traffic as a Motivator - What activities on your site drive up traffic and what makes it taper off
Why is information like this important? I believe that by analyzing the numbers, you can actually craft web content, blog topics and engage in activities on referring sites that can increase your website visits and the “sticky-ness” of your marketing message. For example, let’s break down the four pieces of information above and translate them to a stronger marketing strategy.
Search Terms - What people were looking for in an organic Google (or other) search that brought them to your site
On-site Traffic Patterns - What pages are more frequently visited, how long do people spend on different pages of the site, etc.
Geographic Reach - The reach of your website traffic, drilled down by country, region, state and city
Referring Sites - Most traffic driven to your page from another website
Traffic as a Motivator - What activities on your site drive up traffic and what makes it taper off
Why is information like this important? I believe that by analyzing the numbers, you can actually craft web content, blog topics and engage in activities on referring sites that can increase your website visits and the “sticky-ness” of your marketing message. For example, let’s break down the four pieces of information above and translate them to a stronger marketing strategy.
Search TermsLooking at the search terms that drive web traffic can help you in crafting your marketing messages. I get a fair amount of traffic from the search term “Top Qualities of a Logo.” The search links back to a blog post I wrote last fall on logo design.
Watch these search terms to find out what your visitors are interested in learning more about. Then, create and post content of this nature to populate your website with great searchable content. You’ll create instant value and improve your SEO in the process.
On-site Traffic Patterns
By watching the traffic patterns on your website, you’ll be better able to understand the decision process of your audience. Are they more interested in the services you offer, or the biographies of the team behind your business? Watch visits per page along with time spent on the page to get a more thorough answer for this. A high page visit number coupled with low time spent on the page likely points to a content issue. Polish up the content or page design to increase the “sticky-ness” of your message. And, if you’ve got strong stats for a page, make sure you’re showcasing your best message there!
By watching the traffic patterns on your website, you’ll be better able to understand the decision process of your audience. Are they more interested in the services you offer, or the biographies of the team behind your business? Watch visits per page along with time spent on the page to get a more thorough answer for this. A high page visit number coupled with low time spent on the page likely points to a content issue. Polish up the content or page design to increase the “sticky-ness” of your message. And, if you’ve got strong stats for a page, make sure you’re showcasing your best message there!
Geographic ReachWatching the geographic patterns behind your website can be very interesting. Sure, you’re likely to get some traffic from outside of your target market, but if you are in the small business category you might be able to use that to your advantage. For example, if you’ve got professional connections out of state, watch for traffic from those areas. Could be that a previous client or colleague is quietly taking interest in your business. Because you can often tell the city that traffic is coming from, you can often tie that to your contact. I’ve used that opportunity to reach out to those people who might be “scoping out” my business offerings.
Referring Sites
Where are your visits coming from? Do you have a fair amount of traffic from social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Continuos engagement on these sites puts your brand in front of large audiences every day. Use that opportunity to link back to meaning and relevant content on your site that would provide value to other social media users. Are you getting referring traffic from a client, vendor or other third-party website? If you are fortunate enough to develop collaborative relationships with other businesses who link to your site, be sure to recognize and thank them for the referral traffic they garner.
Where are your visits coming from? Do you have a fair amount of traffic from social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Continuos engagement on these sites puts your brand in front of large audiences every day. Use that opportunity to link back to meaning and relevant content on your site that would provide value to other social media users. Are you getting referring traffic from a client, vendor or other third-party website? If you are fortunate enough to develop collaborative relationships with other businesses who link to your site, be sure to recognize and thank them for the referral traffic they garner.
Traffic as a MotivatorFinally, I’d argue that the analytics behind a website can be an effective source of motivation. Days that I blog and post links on social media sites see a dramatic spike in overall traffic. Creating new, meaningful and relevant content through a blog, calendar, community, or educational forum gives people reason to revisit your site. Letting that content get stale, out of date and doldrum decreases the “sticky-ness” of your message and your overall traffic. Watching the analytics behind your site can be a great motivator to continue to craft great website content to encourage “revisits.” And, the percent of “new visits” to your site can help you to gauge how many new impressions you are making through traditional sales calls or networking.
Don’t have analytics available to you? Talk to your web vendor to get them setup today. It’s an easy, inexpensive process that can be of great value to your company.
If you are ready to take your website and internet strategy to the next level, we’d love to help. Contact Mangold Creative today to see how you can reach your full brand potential.
by Heather N. Mangold, MBA on February 9th, 2011
Struggling with the art of personal branding in the workplace? Or maybe your employer is hesitatant to allow your "non-sanctioned" efforts to establish a personal brand? I came across one of the most valuable resources on this subject while preparing my talk for today's WCTC Women Entrepreneur event on Relationship Branding. Simply can't say it better myself, so here's a link. Hope it helps!
Personal Branding in the Workplace Article
Personal Branding in the Workplace Article
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