Incite

The Journey

Jared Smith — 2013-04-13T01:50:51+00:00

Hang on, because the path to grow your business can be fraught with peril. This is just not a journey for the weak of heart.

It’s easy to say “let’s narrow our service offering”, but actually following-through on this kind of self-imposed constraint is a different story. It resulted in us examining our skill-set and assessing our strengths. Last August, Incite's executive team met with Roy Group for a two-day retreat. The purpose was to focus on making tough decisions that will help us move forward. After several discussions, it soon became clear that a more focused approach in the marketplace would eventually position us ahead of our competition. But in order to commit to a more streamlined offering, we had to take a few steps backwards (in revenue and market share) in order to hopefully make a giant leap forwards.

But, as luck would have it, this was not an opportune time for us to make a decision like this.

Shortly after our retreat, two major accounts made announcements that they could no longer work with us for reasons beyond our control and another account was acquired by one of their competitors.

What we thought would be a short-term revenue crunch turned into a full-blown crisis.

Just when we thought we had made a terrible mistake, Roy Group pointed out that this was "the call" - a mythical milestone that every heroic venture includes. They were using language from The Hero's Journey (from the life's work of Joseph Campbell).

With open minds and eager ears, we listened as they explained the architecture of The Hero's Journey, a series of events that Campbell believed marked the key points in every human story. It goes something like this:

The hero begins in the ordinary world, when “the call” appears to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. This call reveals a crisis that is unexpected, unpredicted, and daunting to the core.
Shouldering the gravity of this crisis becomes unbearable and the hero within the story is filled with doubt, isolation, anxiety and fear, and finds themselves in "the pit of despair" - depression, darkness, and hopelessness set in.
If the hero can just endure, the theme of hope makes an entrance - closely followed by the most familiar themes of friendship, family, mentorship and tribe. A new order of things begins to show itself and there is a bold "emergence". Fueled with newfound allies and strength, the hero becomes capable of a victory that could not have been imagined in the pit of despair.
During the great banquet or whatever celebration follows the triumph, the hero connects to a sense that there is a new challenge approaching over the horizon. With this "the hero's return" marks the time in the story where the hero makes a courageous choice to quest again, to serve again, to lead again, to be tested again, and to throw themselves to forces larger than them, once again.

As entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders, we know this story. It is ours. It resonated with our situation and accurately portrayed the choices we had in front of us. With help from Roy Group, Incite got through.

Here are a few of the lessons I took from this:

Be conscious and honest about where you are in the cycle of the Hero's Journey and know what it is time for.

Recognize when you’re in the "pit of despair" - engage the chance to have your mettle tested and know that there is always a way forward.

Plan ahead and know that the decision to grow will inevitably introduce some form of crisis into your organization.

Good luck on your journey!

Openness to Change: It’s how you think

Kathryn Myroniuk — 2013-03-05T15:26:16+00:00

Like many of us, I often make grand claims that revolve around needing to make a change! Whether it be cutting back on chocolate (not likely), visiting the gym more often, or taking up that new hobby I’ve always wanted to try out – I am constantly able to identify changes or improvements that I’d like to make in my life.

When clients work with Incite, they too are looking to make changes. They’ve decided that there are areas of their business that require improvement. They understand that proactive thinking and a readiness to move forward solidifies a strong result down the road. The extent to which clients are open to taking this step varies, with some being more open to change and others being more resistant. No matter how open they are to the idea of change, taking that next important to step of putting it into action can be daunting.

Why is change so hard? And harder still for many of us? Change can be hard for many reasons. It challenges the way that we currently do things, it pushes us out of our comfort zone, and it forces us to embark on an adventure into unknown (or lesser known) territory. It takes us out of the comfortable “what if” space and forces us to put our ideas into action. The logical part of our brain tells us that change is inevitable. We are constantly adapting, learning, and seeking out new experiences – sometimes, if we are lucky, every day. Even still, knowing it’s necessary and unavoidable, how can we better adapt to it?

Anyone can develop an openness to change, and it starts with how you think. A fear of failing for example can instead be viewed as an opportunity to learn. If something doesn’t go as planned, it’s what you do next that counts. What did you learn from the experience? What will you do differently next time? If you take failure out of the equation, openness to learning, growing, and getting to a better place is left. It’s how you adapt, and shift your thinking to adjust to new possibilities. Learn from these challenges and continue to seek out new experiences.

Every day is an opportunity to learn and it all starts with how you think.

The Art of Persuasion

Elijah Stauth — 2013-02-19T22:45:29+00:00

I have a quote from David Ogilvy scrawled across a piece of paper taped above my computer. It reminds me, every day, to not treat my readers like idiots. Because, god knows, it’s easy to do.

Now, that’s not saying anything against readers. I go on the assumption that readers tend to be a lot smarter than me. In fact, I like to make the assumption that they’re not only smarter, but they’re busier, more important, and have a worthier opinion.

Regardless, as soon as we start putting words on a page we instinctively want to treat our readers like idiots. And it makes sense. Idiots are easy to convince. They’re impressed by big words and flowery phrases. They don’t ask the hard questions.

If all readers were idiots then the task of writing would be simple.

It isn’t.

First, stop for a minute and think about what convinces you when you read something. Sure, the composition matters. Word choice is important and grammar shouldn’t be scoffed at. But, chances are it isn’t the frequency of adjectives and adverbs like “really” and “very”.

At Company X our staff works incredibly hard to ensure customer satisfaction remains extraordinarily high. We have the very best people and absolutely love our jobs. You won’t find bigger smiles, or happier clients, than you will here. So come talk to us today, we’re the very best in our industry.

You know what that says about Company X? Absolutely nothing. At least, nothing to the kind of analytical, inquisitive, intelligent person I assume my reader is. The above paragraph is not the least bit informative. It makes claims without providing information.

Now let’s make up another company:

At Company Y we care about the satisfaction of our customers. Our support lines are answered by real people, 24/7, and offer immediate assistance; our products are life-time guaranteed; and for the last three years we’ve won the consumer choice award. If you know of any way we could serve you better, let us know. We’d be happy to hear from you.

See, that says something. You know three specific things about the company after reading that. I didn’t even have to write “very”.

Now, back to that Ogilvy quote I was talking about.

“The more informative your content, the more persuasive it will be.”

It’s usually when organizations don’t have anything worthwhile to say about themselves that they’ll resort to big words. They’ll want to say how great they are instead of talking about the actual things they do.

If you’ve got a good company, a good product, and good people, all you’ve got to do is give your audience the facts. They’re smart enough to figure out who the “very” best is all on their own, and they’ll be happy they weren’t treated like an idiot in the process.

Meaningful Dates

Adam Holmes — 2013-01-02T14:12:55+00:00

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."
– Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams, brilliant writer – and a Project Manager’s worst nightmare.

Having trouble receiving feedback and completing deliverables in a timely fashion? If it appears that there hasn’t been “buy-in” on a project deadline, try choosing attainable deadlines that have meaning for your client.

One common approach of using the last day of the month as a project deadline date may be great for your accounting departments’ budgeting and billing schedules, but does it really engage and create motivation for your client?

Instead, work with your client to choose meaningful dates for your project deadlines.

A meaningful date is a deadline that is a personal priority for completion. When a date has meaning, it is much more likely that the action associated with it will be met on time.

The 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies were held on July 27 and you can bet that was a meaningful date for everyone involved.

Newspaper ads are a great example of how using meaningful dates with a client can be successful. Ads are due by a certain time on a specific day or the client loses money for the booking, with nothing to show for it. You can be certain that clients are motivated to provide feedback on the ad before the deadline. Use a similar strategy when choosing dates for other projects – when a client is invested in the deadline date, you will have an easier time getting your feedback and approvals on time.

Want to make sure a website gets launched on time? Plan to launch it in conjunction with the client’s Annual General Meeting. Want a logo to be completed in time? Connect the brand launch with your client’s anniversary party. Need to select a date for a newsletter to go out? Why not work to have it ready to include on the day employee pay stubs get released?

Select a specific date that has relevance to your client and they will be more motivated to provide feedback and meet more deadlines.

What meaningful dates have you found to be successful?

Be Inspired!

Vonnie Ianson — 2012-12-04T16:27:04+00:00

As a designer, starting a creative project can be daunting. You are entirely responsible for the visual representation of a company or brand! The first of many questions that pops into my head is ‘Where do I start?” In order to get going, I need two things: inspiration and a whole lot of coffee! I always give myself a little extra time to just let my mind run wild – explore, research and filter every idea.

You never know what might spark a creative outburst. I start with these:

Browse online – A ton of design sites and designer blogs are excellent resources and usually a great place to start. You can find out what you like, what won’t work, and what’s trending. A personal favorite of mine is Logo Design Love.
Look at the people around you – I’m lucky to be surrounded by a handful of crazy talented designers (I’m totally sucking up) so I look back to things they did and hit them up for advice and feedback. Sharing ideas can breed new ways of thinking. “Creativity is contagious, pass it on,” said Albert Einstein.
Grab a book – Flip through the ones lying around the office or at home, even if you feel as though you have read them a thousand times. You will see things from a different perspective on every project you work on, as you aren’t always looking for the same thing.
Research competitors – Do yourself and your client a favour by checking out what the competition is doing. This helps you to figure out how to make your logo/brand stand out against theirs.
Change of scenery – Move to another room, sit in a comfy chair with a pen and a notepad and just doodle. Us designers are known for our incessant doodling...this is the best time to take advantage of this annoying habit and see what brilliance might come from our chicken scratches.

The creative wheels really start turning after I get my dose of inspiration. I take it all in and then carefully pare down what is relevant. Playing on the name, pulling together colour schemes, searching for unique fonts, experimenting with layout and placement. It’s getting more difficult to create original logos that don’t resemble or remind you of another since we’re all exposed to and influenced by a lot of the same visual pieces. The key is to see what is out there and figure out ways to make your vision more unique.

So schedule yourself a little extra inspiration time, stimulate your brain, and watch the ideas pour out!

Some Things You Just Can’t Fake

Laura Davis — 2012-11-27T20:27:33+00:00

“Where should I eat?”

“Is that restaurant any good?”

“What’s on the menu?” ...Sound familiar?

These days, a lot of us try to solve our dining dilemmas by relying on food review sites like Urbanspoon or Yelp. Before we arrive we can browse menus, look at pictures, and read other diner’s reviews of the experience. In fact:

45% of consumers have already chosen where to eat with the help of an online dining guide. 57% of patrons rely on them.

Word-of-mouth marketing is powerful.

Social media started because the world needed a forum for authentic perspectives and feedback. Online consumer reviews are currently the second most trusted source of brand information and messaging because they offer a space free of advertising pressure, filters, or biases.

Ninety-two percent of consumers around the world say they trust word-of-mouth or recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising.

By replicating the word-of-mouth experience, consumers feel they can trust online reviews as real and honest opinions. But there are cheaters.

Relationships and authenticity take work. And, naturally, people have found ways to take short cuts.

By 2014, 10% to 15% of social media reviews will be fake and paid for by companies.

Ugh. Just what we need, right? Sneaky businesses buying fake five-star reviews in hopes of increasing sales and customer loyalty. If you look on Craigslist you’ll see the sleazy posts: “For $5, I will submit two great reviews for your business”.

Sadly, it works.

Studies show even the smallest push for fake positive reviews makes a huge difference in restaurant success. According to a University of California, Berkeley study, a slight half star improvement increases the number of dinner reservations at an eatery.

But in the long run, when businesses take shortcuts and pay for positive reviews the integrity of the system is lost. If social media follows this path it will just turn into another platform for loud, phoney, gimmicky advertising ploys.

So… trust no one?

Let’s not jump to extremes. Social media can keep its credibility, but in order to do that restaurants need to realize customer reviews are a fundamental part of the sales pitch and can’t be ignored. Restaurants need to encourage real reviews and word-of-mouth referrals. And they must deal honestly with complaints and answer to poor reviews with sincerity.

Here are some things we can do:

Demand authenticity
Give honest reviews as much as possible
Be aware that not everything we read is true and diligently watch for indicators of a fake review
Seek out companies like OpenTable, who ask you to offer a review after you have made your reservation and ate at a restaurant, providing more quality control

When we all stand up and take notice of these fake tricks, we can protect social media’s authenticity AND be sure to dine at awesome restaurants. How’s that for food for thought?

Making YEG Creative… One Breakfast at a Time

Darren Tonn — 2012-11-14T18:33:01+00:00

Creativity. We all think we’re creative. We all want to be creative. We all struggle to be creative.

If only we had a chance to get together and learn from others’ creative insights. To discuss the challenges of being creative and get advice from our peers. Well, now we do! Thanks to Brandon Webber (@brandonwebber), Edmonton now is part of a global breakfast lecture series for creative types.

CreativeMornings (@creativemorning) was started in New York by Tina Roth Eisenberg in 2009 and has chapters all around the world. Tina wanted to “create an accessible, inspiring morning event for people to meet”. Now Edmonton has a chapter and just had its first Creative Morning.

On November 2nd CreativeMornings Edmonton (@Edmonton_CM) hosted its first session at Startup Edmonton, and had Michael Brechtel (@mbrechtel) as keynote speaker. It was great! Michael talked about what creativity means to him and walked us through his creative process. The presentation was followed by a great discussion where I could tell others were as thirsty to discuss creativity as I was.

In my eyes, and others that I talked with, it was a great success. I was left feeling energized and, well, more creative. It was also reassuring to hear that others struggle with similar issues I deal with.

It was also cool to hear that CreativeMornings isn’t intended to be industry specific. They want everyone to attend and speak at these events. Everyone has to be creative in their work and therefore everyone should be included. So, whether you’re a designer, nurse, architect, lawyer, teacher, etc., you are welcome.

CreativeMornings meets once a month and the talks and venue will vary. Follow CreativeMornings Edmonton at @Edmonton_CM and Creative Mornings at @creativemorning

Here are some photos of the event http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativemorningsedmonton

Personal Training & Marketing Consultants: Talk about a work-out

Blaire McCalla — 2012-11-06T15:04:10+00:00

I recently had a conversation with Simon Bennett, owner of Body by Bennett about our two businesses. Body by Bennett is a local personal training facility that does a great job of customizing workouts and motivating participants to lead a healthy life. I go twice a week as a way stay motivated toward my own wellness. While I was talking to Simon, I realized how similar our businesses are. Hiring a marketing consultant is a lot like hiring a personal trainer for your business.

As marketing consultants we help you set goals for your business, determine the right activities you need to do to help you achieve those goals, hold you accountable to your marketing decisions, help motivate you when things get tough, and guide you when you’re unsure how to keep moving forward. Sound familiar?

Of course, reaching your goals isn’t always easy. If you go to the gym twice a week and aren’t seeing the improvements you want, you know you have to work harder. That means pushing your limits, being rigorous in your training, and staying motivated by your goal. And, at the end of the day, it’s you who has to do the work. The trainer can give you all the tools, the right advice, the right workouts, and the right instruction, but at the end of the day, it’s you who has to do the heavy lifting.

It’s exactly the same in marketing. We have the strategies and tools needed to push business in the right direction, but without the rigour and consistency to use those tools and live the brand, clients won’t see the kind of gains their hoping for.

Having a personal trainer but not following their advice and workouts will not help you achieve your fitness goals. Having a marketing strategy but neglecting the tactics and ignoring your brand will not help you achieve your business goals. In our business, this can sometimes leave clients feeling like they’re doing all the work. But remember, having a good marketing coordinator (like having a good personal trainer) can help you reach a whole new level of success, build confidence in your business… and, sometimes, even help you look better in your suit.

Motivation Monday

Ryan Stark — 2012-10-21T15:41:36+00:00

Motivation is a funny thing. You probably have an idea of what motivates you but at the same time can’t quite articulate it fully. Moreover, what motivates you is at least somewhat different from what motivates me.

So, like we employ music to help us identify and express our emotions, we often turn to quotes to conjure our motives and instances of motivation.

I suspect you’ve seen the black-matted, inspirationally-quoted, and nature-scene picture at some point (like the style featured here). The popularity of which does not convey quality but it does convey our desire to be motivated and motivate others.

As such, here are a range of quotes that motivate me in some fashion:

“Another day, another dollar.”—Mom
“We only see what we're prepared to see.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.”—Albert Einstein
“I have no use for 'before and after' pictures. I can't remember starting and I’m never done.”—asofterworld.com
“Turn heads; set the tone; be informed; have it first.”—Spruce magazine (associated with Wallpaper* magazine)

In the aforementioned desire to be motivated and motivate others, please share what words motivate you, no matter which day of the week.

Not Your Typical Type Workshop

Dave Landreth — 2012-09-25T20:01:55+00:00

Last month, history was made in the Edmonton design community. Jeff Archibald and Kyle Fox, of the recently formed organization work&turn, created crafting type: a design workshop taught by professional and innovative type designers. Their new and fresh seminar is only surpassed by the five-week Cooper Union typeface design workshop in New York.

I was impressed to see attendees from Vancouver, Calgary, Montréal, and even San Francisco, as design events in Edmonton hardly see much interest outside of the city. So what was the appeal? What had these organizers done differently than other Edmonton-based design event organizers?

To start, they set out a curriculum that promised an immersive, challenging and highly educational workshop. Secondly, they brought in international talent to deliver on that promise; Dave Crossland, a type designer of Cantarell and a font consultant to the Google Font Project.

In addition, they executed the branding of their organization and the event marketing collateral with surgical precision, all within a couple months. Thanks to the social-media-verse, word spread fast and far that this was a serious type design workshop in our humble city.

And finally, the organizers leveraged their relationships to:

Secure a venue
Provide materials such as sketchbooks, pencils and erasers
Spread the word and garner sign-ups

The result was something the two organizers had only dreamt about – A top-class event. And to prove it they nearly doubled their sign-ups, forcing them to bring in Eben Sorkin (founder of Sorkin Type Co. which has made over 60 types specifically for the web), and Octavio Pardo (award winning type designer of Sutturah) in order to maintain the same quality of instruction that was promised.

Their success was a testament to the power of a bold, unified visual identity; tightly executed marketing that leveraged relationships and social media, and providing an experience that delivered on their promise.

Photo credits: Rob and Lauren