As Metropolis grew, I had to let go of that side and focus on larger picture things like business development, brand building, marketing, creative problem solving, and of course — making money. I also learned that at its core, my business decisions needed to fall in line with what I believed in. I received advice from many people, and some of it fit with my beliefs. Other times, it just wasn’t for me. But the beauty of owning your own company is — it’s yours. And you can make those big decisions that will define your brand and reinforce those relationships you value.

I mentor startups because I love their passion and ideas. I can empathize with them, and share the same excitement and challenges that they face. And perhaps I can help someone avoid some costly mistakes, or just focus on a few key marketing decisions that can really help them out.

I have been participating in the MITX Up Hackathon program for the past three years. In that time, I’ve had the pleasure of being exposed to some really cool ideas across industries, including software security, biotech, B2C, and government. Each time, I leave my card and offer to be a continued resource for them.

I’ve also met some amazing thinkers. I’m not just talking about the founders of these companies, but of the other mentors as well. These people look at the same issues that I do, but sometimes through very different lenses. It’s humbling to hear their different perspectives and approaches to solving a company’s challenges. And it’s exciting to think about the prospect of combining all of our ideas into one complete solution.

I’ve mentored at MassChallenge, TechStars, Google, Harvard Innovation Lab, and DogPatch Labs. Boston must truly be the innovation hub of the country. I don’t know if I’m more lucky or proud to be a part of it. But as long as I keep being asked back, I’ll continue mentoring startups with fingers crossed that “one of mine” will hit it big.

The post Why I Mentor Startups appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

Most people have seen Alec Baldwin from the movie Glengarry Glenross. Baldwin plays a hotshot trying to fire up a group of real estate salesmen. He shows them a stack of new leads and says, “You don’t get them” because “giving them to you is just throwing them away.”

If you’re like most organizations, you have a robust Content Marketing plan that drives traffic to your web sites and generates leads. What do you do with those leads when you get them? Are you “just throwing them away?”

The best way to ensure leads is by implementing a structured Lead Nurturing Program.

The Association of Strategic Marketing’s white paper titled The Importance of Lead Nurturing and Scoring defines Lead Nurturing as “building a relationship with eligible prospects regardless of their timing with the aim to boost their business when they are prepared.”

According to ASM, nurtured leads can increase sales by as much as 20%. ‘Click-through’ rates from Lead Nurturing emails are 8% compared to only 3% from general emails. Despite this increased sales potential, 69% of B2B marketers fail to use a Lead Nurturing system.

The core of any Lead Nurturing program is well-crafted, relevant content. Here’s why:

1. Content Establishes Credibility

“The most important features a B2B vendor must have are trust and credibility,” the ASM report points out. “They have to build credibility and reputation by sharing relevant and valuable information.”

2. Content Keeps You in Contact

According to ASM, the new generation of buyers tends not to commit to a sale until the last third of the buying process. Therefore, sales and marketing need to be involved throughout “delivering high quality content and information for prospects that is responsive, timely and relevant.” And “The only way that they can maintain ongoing conversation with prospects is with a comprehensive Content Strategy,” the report asserts.

3. Content Helps Drive the Buying Decision

ASM states that 95% of prospects visit a web site for research purposes but 70% will eventually buy from that company or from a competitor. Not using a content driven Lead Nurturing program is the number one reason for poor lead conversion. Overall, 79% of marketing leads are not converted to sales. However nurtured leads drive 47% more purchases than non-nurtured leads.

According to the ASM, Lead Nurturing involves establishing your credibility in the marketplace, presenting your solution as the most viable, and ultimately convincing your prospect that you are the correct choice for them. As always, the key to accomplishing that is through informative, well crafted and compelling content.

Are you nurturing your leads? Are you drawing traffic but not converting sales?

The post Nurture Your Leads Through Content appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

Bearing that in mind, marketing your business and its services comes down to being clear in your company’s goals, its communication and methods. If you want to deliver a memorable, valuable and clear message to potential clients and partners, just do it.

While that might seem like a simplified command, it works. Let’s look at three ways in which you can improve your business marketing message and ultimately close more deals – or at least improve your organization’s ability to close more deals.

1. Know what your company offers and why people want it

Seriously. This is one of the biggest stumbling blocks companies face when trying to market their product or service. If you can’t clearly share what you offer and why it’s great, you’re not being an effective marketer. Take the time to look at your company from the outside. Try to determine the way in which satisfied customers describe your product. Then use that language to sell your company. It works.

2. Cultivate a mindset of excellence

If you don’t believe you’re the best organization for a job, project, assignment or partnership, it shows. Start to take your company as seriously as you can. And focus on presenting it as the best in the business. It helps if you ARE the best in your channel or category. But you can still have confidence in how well you serve your customers and how well your products meet their needs. Soon, this mindset will pervade the organization and you’ll find that you’re landing more gigs and your clients are singing your praises. And satisfied customers beget more satisfied customers. Be great — and believe your company is great.

3. Ask for the sale

This article opened with the premise that too few people ever close a deal correctly. If you don’t ask for the sale, you are missing an opportunity to build your business. Be straightforward, respect your potential client’s time and go right for the jugular. Ask your contact what you can do to make them do business with you now and in the future. Then move toward that goal. When you ask for someone’s business, you find out right away how serious they are about spending money on your services. You also are able to be more efficient in marketing yourself as you’ll be spending less time casually chatting with prospects and more time signing contracts and closing deals. It’s great to network and meet new people on behalf of your organization. But make sure if you’ve got your marketing and sales hat on, that you’re there with a purpose. Close the deal first, then enjoy the relationship.

We’d love to hear the techniques you use to regularly market your business better. Share in the comments. Thanks!

The post Ask and Ye Shall Receive – Marketing Your Business Clearly appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

But that’s the old world of business networking. Today, it’s a process that’s more akin to marketing. This is the process of incorporating all the established means of communications and adding the social and electronic features of today’s fast-paced world. Essentially, you’re promoting yourself, your business and your presences via marketing processes.

As an example, where your business card with phone, fax and Website used to be enough, presenting yourself the right way requires you have social sites, handles and maybe even a QR code on your card.

Where the standard social conversation used to be focused on finding out about the people you’re meeting so you can determine whether they’re right for your pitch…the world has changed. Everyone is right for your pitch and that means you can never burn a bridge or neglect a contact.

This levels the playing field immensely and puts good interpersonal skills back into play because power could rest with anyone in the room. Who can say what a VC looks like? Who can tell if the guy you just cut in line at the bar is the head of communications for a local agency? And you can never tell who knows whom in the connected world.

I’d like to leave you with three tips for marketing appropriately.

1. Remember there’s no easy way to see who knows whom, so treat everyone with respect. This doesn’t mean to tolerate jerks, but doing it correctly requires that you take a little more time before writing anyone off.

2. Get ALL your materials in order. Your Website, business materials, elevator pitch and social presence must work in conjunction. And make yourself easy to find. Give some real thought to product and company naming conventions. Don’t be cute – be straightforward and available. One lost client due to confusion of mission or URL is too many. Be smart about your marketing.

3. Finally, learn what every journalist knows. Listening is the best path to learning. When you’re talking, you’re not listening. It’s the dilemma of all sales people…they feel as if they must talk constantly to sell a product. It’s not true. The best listeners get the inside track on what a potential client wants and therefore can spend less time delivering these things. Today’s marketing approach may be the renaissance of listening – make it work for you.

Got a marketing strategy you’d like us to write about? Got questions on what you’re doing right or wrong? Send us your thoughts in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.

The post It’s 2013 – You’d Better Learn to Network and Market Yourself appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

The interesting thing isn’t whipping up memories and making us feel connected to the season. It’s what we can learn from these pieces of content. Ultimately, the more you think about solving a problem or meeting a customer’s expectations, the better off you’ll be when it comes to establishing/fostering relationships and running a successful business.

While Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, he also wrote Great Expectations – and that’s today’s lesson. Have great expectations for your communications!

Think about content creation for a moment and the great expectations you can have when you understand your audience and customers. If you know your audience intimately, and can empathize with them, you will never be at a loss for effective messaging.

Further, when you can actually put yourself in the shoes of your readers, buyers, clients, colleagues and partners, you will ALWAYS be able to find messaging that resonates with them.

Try it. Think about the goals your audience has. Then write material, shoot video, share stories and images, that all help your audience achieve those goals.

It’s simple. But it’s work. You will need to concentrate, listen and then communicate clearly. In the end, you’ll not only meet the great expectations your various audiences have — you’ll also exceed your own goals for success.

Wishing you a happy and safe start to the holiday season. Be well and be GREAT!

The post Great Expectations in Marketing appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

The train-wreck that results when some incredibly nonsensical blather comes from the model’s mouth always surprises us. And you know why? Because we’ve bought into the striking, beautiful, compelling brand image that shockingly doesn’t live up to its promise.

Should we be surprised when this happens? Perhaps. Human nature is to judge books by their cover and then to readjust our expectations when the book/cover dynamic proves different than our hopes. The big issue I’d like to cover today isn’t about personal image, it’s about business image and consistency.

When branding is done correctly, the image that’s created – from Website design to colors and logo and tagline – is a promise of similar excellence to follow. Don’t you get a great initial feeling when you see a logo that’s sleek and powerful? Or a sense of confidence when a company’s materials are classically elegant and expensive-looking? I know I do.

Who among us would gleefully skip into a business relationship – or even a consumer relationship – with a company whose fonts are bitmapped, whose colors are inconsistent from business cards to Website to smartphone app, or whose employees dress as if ping-pong and coolers full of beer are their primary focus?

You’re smarter than that. So, let’s look at the one key item every company should focus on when they make the logical step from their well-designed profile and online image to answering the door or phone and following up on the promise of superior service.

Be consistent!

If your image is that of a conservative, buttoned-up firm that delivers old-world style and grace…live that image. Have a real person answer the phone. Ensure you attend business and social events in suits and ties. Be visible at events that match your style – charity balls and functions, fundraisers, or museum openings.

Communicate clearly both online and in person using the language and style you have built into your Web presence. If your company is a surf shop, you can use lingo and slang in your materials and blog posts. Conversely, if you’re a pharmaceutical firm, there are whole layers of compliance and terminology you must affect in your interactions online.

Finally, get the team on board with living your brand image. While Apple had Steve Jobs and then a whole hive of workers, a lot of companies work best when the leader and the team are a little closer together in style and philosophy. If you’re the CEO, it doesn’t mean you need to go bar hopping with the staff…ever. But it boosts morale and productivity if you make an effort to know who people are, what strengths they bring to your corporate table, and who has performed exceptionally well historically for your company.

Ultimately, the well-oiled and consistent business hardly misses a step when sharing their mission, serving their customer or promoting their brand to build future business. Make sure your steps in branding or rebranding further your progress toward creating a corporate powerhouse that is exceptional, memorable and consistent.

The post Branding Done Right – Winning with Consistency appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

The problem with more advertising, or advertising in general, is that someone is selling to us – so we tune it out. Who likes to be sold to? You don’t choose to be sold to unless you’re getting a big TV and a weekend vacation out of it. Advertising is a one-way conversation.

The question of how do we get more advertising to the consumer has been reversed. The new question is “How do we get more consumers to our brand?”

Last week, the big takeaway from Future-M here in Boston was good, honest, heartfelt storytelling. You’ve got a great story if you can bring a tear to someone’s eye, and/or people want to share it. Because its all about sharing right now.

When people research before a purchase, they look to friends and peers. Whether its in-person or reading comments online, we trust each other to help guide our decisions. This is also why Google, and other communities, use the social graph to show you what your friends are interested in.

Coca Cola just redesigned their website to revolve around stories, not products. Dove embraces “Real Beauty.”And Domino’s listens.

These are real conversations with real people. These brands are confident enough to not only let the public talk about them, but showcase those uncensored conversations. They show a level of mutual trust, respect, and love that you can only get from friends.

The post Tell Me A Story appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

Initial “doodles” can turn into so much more. By developing them and focusing on the idea behind them, sketches can be applied to the general aesthetic of a brand. For example, the logo can be significantly influenced by simple sketches. It could be an abstract thought that’s then translated into a recognizable shape that conveys the brand message. Hand-drawn pieces display the style and personality of the artist or designer behind it.

Research by the LA Times suggests there is inherently a mental disconnect caused by using a screen. The study used neuroimaging scans to show that writing by hand can engage more brain circuits than when using a computer. The cognitive connection between one’s hand and the ideas that are facilitated is stronger than a digital connection. The brain is used more when putting pen to paper, just like how the brain is used more when running outside versus on a treadmill. By using a more natural method, Metropolis Creative’s process offers less barriers to creativity and is therefore more relaxing and productive.

Sketching is integral to moving the artist or designer in a constructive direction. Initially, the designer may not be able to articulate what works best for the particular project at hand. With repeated brainstorming, sketching, critiquing, a designer can figure out how to communicate the message of the client. In web design, it is crucial to begin with wireframes and to determine the visual hierarchy of a page before creating the aesthetic. If design is the paint on the walls, wireframes and sketches are the necessary blueprints. Working first from wireframes help clients and Metropolis figure out the importance of each item on their site. Starting here saves time with later designs of the website.

Internal critiquing gives the designer opportunity to improve on each round of sketches. The process of trial-and-error can reveal what works and what does not with regards to the client’s purpose. We have a team of designers and developers that all add different perspectives to critiques ranging from aesthetics to functionality to general readability. We can also produce more iterations faster for our clients with this process.

While it may seem easier to just  start a project by diving into the Adobe suite of software, initially using pen and paper is much more advantageous. The stronger connection made with the physical motion of writing and drawing helps the development and realization of ideas. And this helps us push our creativity further while rounding our concepts more fully for our clients.

The post Pen > Mouse: Creating Thoughtful Design appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

What I mean by that is knowing where your clients are as well as who they are. You’d hardly open a slush hut in Siberia and would likely forgo the fur-coat kiosk in Miami. But aside from letting your product dictate where you sell it, the next step in marketing awareness is showing your product or service off where the ‘best’ audience can see it.

That’s why trade shows aren’t dead yet. Seriously. Years ago when folks discovered Websites, the trade show industry freaked out. They thought, “Now people can see as many products as they want from their office chair.”

That didn’t happen. People research items online, but there’s still huge value in holding a product and speaking with a human about a product’s capabilities. Which brings me to Boston…one of the best spots on the planet for entrepreneurs to showcase their wares. In fact, Boston’s a good place for any company to introduce new technologies, products and services. Here’s why…

Boston is a manageable city.
Boston has a knowledgeable population.
Boston is on the cutting edge of tech and social media.
Boston is connected to major media worldwide.
Boston has a large and diverse population.
Boston is college-central with more than two-dozen local universities.

Simply put, in Boston you have smart people, media connections, global exposure and social/technology chops. These factors make our fair city one of the most venture-capital-rich and tech-research-centric on the planet. And where the money goes, so too should go the entrepreneurs.

This column isn’t a pitch to get more entrepreneurs here – we’ve got plenty. It’s actually just a commentary on how Boston has created a perfect storm – and a perfect landscape – for anyone looking to share new ideas and create the next big thing.

Some folks argue that other cities (Austin, New York, San Fran) are more tech-savvy. I say there’s a real reason all the major airlines have rushed to make Boston one of their hubs. The money is coming here from those other places. And the brain power is already here.

So, if you’ve got an idea and want it to flourish, make sure Boston’s on your list of places to base your start-up. This is where your audience is – shouldn’t you be here to meet them?

What do you think of Boston as a tech-start-up hub?

The post Entrepreneurship in Boston. Go Where the Audience Is. appeared first on Metropolis Creative.

Color Combinations Invoke Different Feelings

What impression do you want to give to your target audience? What do you want them to feel? Feelings of trust and community can be driven from a site that uses warm colors. It is important to keep this in mind as the main colors of your site will likely set the mood for a user before he or she even begins reading any of the text on a page.

Readability

Make sure there is contrast between your text color and your background color. The goal of a website is to communicate to a users, potential clients, or current clients. Making a user strain to read the type would be like opening a store and keeping all the items up on the top shelves.

Consistency

Once you’ve selected your website colors, you want to keep them consistent throughout your site. This should be a more obvious rule but it is one we feel is worth mentioning. If your website links to a third party site, you should also co-brand the header and website colors to create a more fluid experience for your users.

Using the right colors on your website can make a subtle but important difference to your audience. When seconds count, use everything in your power to support your brand message.

The post Color Basics: Choosing a Feeling For Your Site appeared first on Metropolis Creative.