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On February 7th I’m hosting a webinar with my friends from Creative Relay called: Branding Your Clients & Yourself.

What I’ve learned since graduating from art school is that, like most of my peers, I learned a lot of skills but had no idea how to apply them. I could design a logo or build a basic website, but I struggled with getting new clients and building working relationships that went longer than just a one-off project. The missing link for me was an understanding of branding. I wasn’t sure how to brand myself and I wasn’t thinking about long-term branding when I took to my client projects. The truth is, though, sometimes you don’t even know how much you know! As artists and designers, branding is something that comes naturally to us once we know what we’re looking for. After years of working with some of Boston’s best marketers and top ad agencies, I’ve learned a thing or two about what goes in to building great brands and I’m going to teach you how to tap into your inner brand planner. As they say on my favorite blog, PuttyLike, you know more thank you think.

Branding starts with a brand promise, a message that you can stand up to across all applications. For example, Apple owns Innovation – in their products, in their aesthetic, in their stores. But how do companies and ideas (or individuals like you and I) develop into a recognizable, respected brand? What makes a brand? I’ll teach you how I help clients uncover their brand promise by using research methods such as social listening, focus groups or surveys, and online databases. We’ll also explore ways to apply brand standards across multiple applications such as an identity system or product offering and I’ll share some basic tips for helping your brand stand out among the crowd on digital media. I’ll show you what my clients do and do not see during my creative process and some examples of what I actually deliver at the end of the project.

This is my first webinar and I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you all. To reserve your seat visit the Creative Relay site and if you can’t join us on 2/7, tune in via Twitter – the hashtag for this webinar is #crbrand.

In the meantime, leave a comment if you have any questions and I’ll be sure to address them in my presentation!

Today I’m featured over on the 3six5 blog. A rare personal post. Enjoy.
]]> http://kaitlinmaud.com/2012/3six5/feed/ 0 http://kaitlinmaud.com/2012/3six5/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KaitlinMaud/~3/lqoVz1H77r4/ http://kaitlinmaud.com/2012/my-year-with-bluetrain-mobile/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:21:01 +0000 Kaitlin http://kaitlinmaud.com/?p=999 One year ago, I signed on my first real client as a digital marketing consultant.

At the time BlueTrain Mobile had only 3 full-time employees including the CEO, Steffan. They brought me on board to help spread the word about their brand. Now they have NINE employees (and counting!), including a thriving sales and marketing team.

I’ve learned so much since I started working with BTM. In particular, I gained a lot of insight from observing (and being a part of) their growth as a business. Scaling is a challenge for many entrepreneurs and BlueTrain’s approach was led by one word: patience. Patience is something I think we can all stand to practice more both as businesspeople and in our fast-paced, always-connected “real life.” BlueTrain waited to make hires until they found candidates that presented both a strong skill and personality match. Much like in house hunting, there were “must-haves” and “deal breakers” and their leadership took extreme care with new hires and prospects. This ultimately prevented the growing pains that so many start-ups go through and guided them to a year of success.

It goes without saying that 2011 was the year of mobile: mobile marketing, mobile CMS, mobile tech… Anything and everything mobile. Saying I got savvy was an understatement. I’ve been able to witness the “mobile revolution” first-hand and see BlueTrain grow to be a thought leader on mobile marketing. It has been exciting to share our knowledge and resources with the tech community whether it’s been identifying must-follow influencers, outlining the top mobile developers and at networks with our Mobile Marketing Map (PDF), or building a tool that rates your site’s mobile usability and experience.

In the past year of working with BlueTrain, I grew the most when it came to learning how to run my own business. Things like invoicing, time tracking, and taxes. Managing expectations. Building strong relationships while working remotely. I’ve been able to apply a lot of these lessons to other clients of mine and develop skills that add value to my strategy/planning role at the agency where I work. My intention is to begin sharing some of my successes and challenges on this blog to help others learn through my experiences. I’m grateful to BlueTrain for their support as I’ve grown my skills – stay tuned, this is just the beginning for them.

I captured some of my thoughts and highlights from this year’s show below, but lucky for you, you can watch the whole shabang online here.
Live blog starts after the jump.

• Bold color combinations to kick off the show. Loving the glitter runway. I don’t know if I care for everything I’m seeing, but I appreciate the styling this year.
• I thought they would’ve killed the “backstage” voice for this year. So obnoxious and contrived.
• Adrianna Lima is really the model of our generation.
• Absolutely adore the hair. Very beachy and light – not typical for this season or this kind of show, but on trend nonetheless. I wonder who the hair team is? (FYI, the answer: Orlando Pita)
• The futuristic looks for the Kanye performance aren’t really my thing either, but the accessories (wings and shoes) are flawless.
• This crystal collection is absolutely stunning. I cant imagine a girl in America who wouldn’t want a fierce rhinestone bustier.
  

  Ms Lima rounds out the collection with black and red lace - classic.

• You know these girls are rocking cutlets in their bras. There is no other explanation for them being so busty and simultaneously so skinny. Look, I respect the cutlet. I ain’t mad at you.
• Part of me wants to roll my eyeswhen the models say that being chosen for  the VS Fashion Show is a child’s dream… But I feel like in America it really is. I’m torn on whether or not that’s a good thing.
  

  Adam Levine dancing with and kissing his VS Angel girlfriend on the runway… The opposite of classy to me. Then again, Adam Levine is hardly the portrait of class.

• N*ggas in Paris + VS Fashion Show = best 3 minutes of TV ever
• Beyonce- your weave is not looking good, girl… Don’t ever do that again please.
• “I put a spell on you” – by FAR my favorite collection. It’s like Black Swan mixed with a sexy circus mixed with Lady Marmalade boudoir. Could have done something more creative with the soundtrack though. OneRepublic is over done.
  

  Okay, I was wrong, as usual the Pink collection is my favorite. The light up wings and bras are FIERCE.

  

  Rivals the Mama Said Knock You Out look last year. Tutus, of course, and neon jewelry. So fun.

Photo credit: CBS.com

The only thing more cliche than writing about new year goals and resolutions is whining about how cliche new years goals and resolutions are – so I’ll try to spare you. I looked at the start of the new year as an opportunity to evaluate, re-adjust, and check back in with my hopes and dreams and what not. Goals work well for me. I am a strategist by trade and as Whitney Hess recently said: it’s impossible to put a strategy in place if you don’t know the end goal. One important and helpful step for me is writing them down and sharing them as a means to hold myself accountable.

Businessy things

• Get an accountant and organize finances. Prepare for tax season and look at the state of my $$$$ with a professional. Change my business structure.
• Work out a budget for this year for both business and personal expenses. Start saving receipts. Take more care with how/when I use credit cards to maximize points/benefits and minimize impact on my credit score. (I joined Learnvest and it’s already helping me work toward these goals!)
• Take an intro to business and/or accounting class.
• Look into part-time MBA and Masters programs. Study and take the GRE.
• Mentor and develop managerial skills (As of next Monday I will be supervising two interns from B.U.)

• Deepen my Yoga practice. Improve strength, balance, and flexibility and gauge growth in these areas through crow pose, headstand, and hanumanasana.
• Read 10 books. Get 3 new tattoos. Attend 5 concerts.
• Travel at least twice on my own for pleasure. No colleagues. No husband. One of those times should be to visit my friend Liz in Nashville.
• By the end of the year I want to have a more clear vision of where I want to live in 2013. Rent or buy? South End condo? Artist live/work space? London? California?
• Start a bucket list. I have a lot of items on my mental bucket list, but, again, writing them down is a good thing. So far my bucket list includes swimming with dolphins, writing a book, and getting my Master’s degree. There’s also a mental travel bucket list that includes Amsterdam, Ireland, and Vancouver.
• Update my wardrobe. Finally take the pile of jeans that don’t fit to the tailor and weed out all the second-hand art school clothes that I don’t wear any more.