Cherish the small moments, as well as the big achievements, and you’ll make memories. We’re currently making memories of our own at Madison+Main. We continue to get positive feedback for the Weekly Report and we’re grateful for it. If you have a charity, non-profit or other event that we could highlight to our now 4,800 subscribers, please let us know. We’d love to help out.

Monday (6/10) - On Monday we finished up Davis & Green Electrical’s new TV spot with our friends at Trademarkey Films. Greg Green did a great job. Special thanks to the 25 or so friends who appeared in the spot as extras and worked late into the night. Well, 10:30 pm is past MY bedtime. The new spot, Don’t Be Left in the Dark, will be up next week!

Tuesday (6/11) - Tuesday was mostly hustle and bustle, but I did get to spend some time with pal Mark Creery, CEO of Data Directions, one of our valued Strategic Partners. We’re working on another joint venture…details to come, once the ink is dry on the contract.

Lindsey and I got to spend some “quality time” together because the two of us had to drive to Danville and back, meeting with Ben Rippe, Owner of Rippe’s, a Danville fashion institute over a 100 years old. Click the link to visit this cool, one of a kind retail store’s Facebook page. We also stopped by Lynchburg and now Lindsey is a super rabid fan of the Texas Inn.

Wednesday (6/12) - On Wednesday I spent the morning with my monthly Virginia Council of CEO’s Roundtable group, thanks to Mr. Fix-it, CEO Mark Binshtock for hosting. I also attended a lively Chesterfield Chamber Luncheon where I heard a very informative presentation on the RMA (Richmond Metropolitan Authority) but my thoughts and concerns were with Art Director Jeff Smack who suffered through a couple of hours in the dentist chair. I know what that’s like #ouch.

We also finished up Howell’s Heating & Air’s latest TV spot, called “Secrets.” Click here, watch it and tell us what you think. I think this may be the funniest spot I’ve produced in over 20 years in this business, but Shhh don’t tell anyone.

Thursday (6/13) - On Thursday morning I attended my first Lucy Corr Foundation meeting as Chairman. I sit on several non-profit boards but this is the first one I’ve been asked to lead, poor people… they don’t know what they’re in for.

I’d also like to send a big thank you to Comcast Spotlight super rep Karen “Fun Bags” Newmyer, Karen always brings a bag full of fun. She joined our entire Account Team making client deliveries Thursday afternoon. Click here to see the photo album.

Friday (6/14) - This morning, Recorder aficionado Jack Saunders graduated 5th grade at Alberta Smith Elementary. He received five separate awards during the ceremony, and I lost two buttons off my vest. #proudpapa. Sorry the Weekly Report is late this week, I spent too much time recording a voiceover and filming a new video blog, if you haven’t seen any of my video blogs, check out madmain.com.

Here’s Jack getting ready to graduate.

Today’s the last day of school for most area students, if you have a child who plays or wants to play basketball this summer be sure to check out Foundation Basketball Group. The first summer camp starts this Monday and goes all summer, click here to sign up.

Hope you have a great weekend! And special congratulations to client, Mike Bell from M. L. Bell Construction who will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at tomorrow night’s Flying Squirrel’s game against the Reading Fightin Phils.

Best regards,

Dave

By Dave Saunders, Chief Idea Officer

Today’s topic is Influence. How do you gain influence personally, professional and as a company? And who is influenced? Influence as a strategy is important in developing the social space essential for cultivating expert status. This should be your primary strategy, especially in a B2B market (i.e. lawyers, accountants, consultants and other business people should use social media as an audience to engage content and gain feedback.)

Do you have a question for Dave? Is there a topic you would like to see him discuss?

Advertising? Marketing? PR? Social Media? Email us at shout@madisonmain.com.

Monday (6/3) - On Monday Art Director Jeff Smack took a well-deserved day off, after leading his MS Bike team “Team Stelliza” on a 150-mile, two-day bike race to and from Williamsburg. Jeff, with the support of his teammates at Madison+Main, raised over $1,000 dollars individually and his team pulled in over $6,000 dollars to support those living with MS.

Art Director Jeff Smack riding to Williamsburg, Virginia for Bike MS: Ride Virginia

The 32nd Annual Vintage Virginia Food and Wine Festival was also a big winner last weekend, our hard work PR and marketing services for festival producer, Across-the-Way Productions, seems to have paid off with attendance increasing substantially from last year’s festival. With one festival down, we set our sights on the Virginia Wine Festival, which is set for September 14th and 15th at the Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia.

Tuesday (6/4) - Madison+Main’s winning streak continued Wednesday morning as Digital Marketing Manager Dorsey “D-MAC” McFadden delivered a stellar performance at the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce’s “Coffee Talk,” where she dropped social media knowledge bombs on the crowd and wowed them with her knowledge of LinkedIn.

I spent most of the day hanging out with VP of Brand Strategy Kara Forbis, Account Executive Sammy Yatco, Art Director Scott Harris and our friends at Broadscope Media producing our 2nd TV spot for Howell’s Heating & Air. A new service tech from Howell’s and a new family will be featured in this spot, but never fear, our wacky “Waaay to Comfortable” scene continues. This spot should be ready in a couple of weeks and I’ll share it with you then.

The stars of the new Howell’s Heating & Air TV Ad

Wednesday (6/5) - On Wednesday we were thrown for a loop first thing in the morning when some brilliant person from the brilliant construction company who is working on the brilliant hotel next door, brilliantly cut our cable fiber, which killed our phone and internet line. But to prove that the Madison+Main-iacs are a resilient bunch, we took the time to cleanup, file and generally organize our office. Below is a photo of the gals fixing the supply room.

 Without phone and internet, our supply room was the hub of activity on Wednesday

Thursday (6/6) - We had planned on making our big announcement on Wednesday but because of the lack of Internet and phone, we were a communications firm without the ability to communicate. On Thursday we were thrilled to announce that we were the recipient of six coveted Telly Awards, 2 silver and 4 bronze. The Telly Awards are essentially the Oscars of the TV production awards… in fact, the same company that makes them also makes the Emmy’s. We were told that our trophies are “in the mail.” Speical thanks to the Colonial Athletic Association, First Bank, Yard Works and Capital Ale House for allowing us to produce some award-winning work for them. #winning To see the award-winning spots click here.

Friday (6/7) - So today is Friday and its been a busy day: we went shopping for office furniture at Ball Office Products and worked on a Press Release for Ball Office Products, talked to both owners of Ball Office Products and ordered some office products from Ball Office Products. By the way, congrats to our good friends Jonathan and Melissa Ball on their new super huge office and showroom on Westmoreland Street. Remember folks, Jonathan and Melissa are not only clients, but we consider them friends, and its good to see a local company succeed against the “big guys.” Just click here, order some stuff and you’ll get some cookies… promise!

We had a ball shopping for office furniture at Ball Office Products, pun intended

It’s going to be a really fun weekend in Richmond full of beer, bourbon, barbecue and on Sunday, bacon. Here’s a link to both festivals: Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival and the Richmond Bacon Festival. It’s always a good day in RVA, how’s that for #winning?

Best regards,

Dave Saunders

Madison+Main Awarded Six Tellys at the 34^th Annual Telly Awards

Richmond-based marketing and PR firm wins six Telly Awards with two different production partners, Broadscope Media and BES Studios.

Richmond, VA (June 6, 2013)  – For the second year in a row, Madison+Main was named a winner at the internationally acclaimed Telly Awards, this time taking home six high honors for local television spots produced and aired in 2012 and 2013. Having partnered with the Richmond-based production companies Broadscope Media and BES Studios, two of the spots were awarded the coveted silver Telly and four were awarded the bronze.

The award-winning television spots are as follows:

SILVER — Spot: “Raise the Bar,” Client: Capital Ale House, Production Company: Broadscope Media

SILVER — Spot: “The Road Starts Here,” Client: Colonial Athletic Association, Production Company: Broadscope Media

BRONZE — Spot: “Matt v. Chris,” Client: Capital Ale House, Production Company: Broadscope Media

BRONZE — Spot: “The Weekend Warrior II,” Client: Yard Works, Production Company: Broadscope Media

BRONZE — Spot: “Card Cash Rewards,” Client: First Bank, Production Company: Broadscope Media

BRONZE — Spot: “Free Checking is Back,” Client: First Bank, Production Company: BES Studios

The six Madison+Main winners were selected from over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.

“All I can say is WOW. We were blown away this year; winning six different statues for six different TV productions is definitely a milestone for Madison+Main,” said Dave Saunders, Chief Idea Officer at Madison+Main. “We want to thank our awesome clients, Tom Yeager at the CAA, Billy Stinson and Robbie Urbine at Yard Works, Matt Simmons and Chris Holder at Capital Ale House and First Bank CEO Scott Harvard. You cannot produce amazing work without amazing clients. Thank you, thank you.”

Founded in 1978, The Telly Awards honor the finest video and film production, including local, regional and cable commercials. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators and corporate video departments in the world.

For its 34th season, The Telly Awards once again joined forces with YouTube to give the public the power to view and rate videos submitted as part of the People’s Telly Awards. In addition to recognition from the Silver Telly Council, the judging panel that selects the Telly Awards winners, the Internet community helps decide the People’s Telly Awards winners.

A prestigious judging panel of over 500 accomplished industry professionals, each a past winner of a Silver Telly and a member of The Silver Telly Council, judged the competition, upholding the historical standard of excellence that Telly represents. The Silver Council evaluated entries to recognize distinction in creative work – entries do not compete against each other – rather entries are judged against a high standard of merit. Less than 10% of entries are chosen as Winners of the Silver Telly, the highest honor. Approximately 25% of entries are chosen as Winners of the Bronze Telly.

“The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in video,” said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Telly Awards. “Madison+Main’s accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

To find out more about the Telly Awards visit www.tellyawards.com.

With LinkedIn having over 200 million professionals, business owners shouldn’t underestimate its potential as a networking, reputation management and lead generation tool. Here’s a look at our top 3 recommendations for business owners using LinkedIn.

Fill Out Your Company Profile Completely – this is an incredibly important in setting up a professional and credible presence.

- Utilize keywords in your description to maximize your reach

- Get customer recommendations to show off your expertise

- Make sure to include a complete list of services as well

- Use LinkedIn to follow up with new B2B connections

Cultivate & Nurture Your Network – authentic interactions can be the foundation of a healthy presence on any social network. LinkedIn is no different as businesses can share updates just like individuals.

- Update regularly with engaging content (i.e. industry articles, videos etc.) in order to maximize to drive traffic to your website

- Link with fellow business owners and similar industry groups to share valuable advice and garner leads

- Utilize your own LinkedIn group to start conversations with potential customers, ask questions and have conversations along the way to showcase your company’s knowledge

Employee Networking – encouraging employees to use LinkedIn in a smart way can turbo charge your company’s LinkedIN presence.

- Ensure each employee has a complete profile and correct company listing

- Encourage your employees to request recommendations and provide endorsements to others

- Give endorsements to your employees for their professional skills to add to your brand’s professional reputation

These are just a few tips for businesses and professionals using LinkedIn. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on LinkedIn, Facebook, @madisonmain or shout@madisonmain.com if you have any questions or need any assistance with your social media!

The keyword at Madison+Main this week was “memories”.

Monday 5/27 - On Monday we celebrated Memorial Day in many different ways, from the mountains to the ocean, but all of us took time to remember those who have served our country and those who continue to serve today. At Madison+Main, we understand that freedom isn’t free, and we salute the men and women of our Armed Forces.

Tuesday 5/28 - On Tuesday morning it was a very light crowd at Midlothian Rotary, where I think most members must have forgotten it was a Tuesday. Ahh, the signs of aging.

Account Executive Sarah Dawes dropped by Capital Ale House in Innsbrook to help the Central Virginia Chapter of the National MS Society in advance of this weekend’s Bike MS. Thanks to our client Capital Ale House for creating a special commemorative glass for “Steal the Glass Night” on Tuesday, where a few hundred glasses were given away.

Check out the new Bike MS glass

Wednesday 5/29 - Every other Wednesday at Madison+Main we invite friends, partners and other experts into our offices for a “Lunch and Learn”. It’s a chance for the team to get together, eat lunch, and learn something new. This week we want to thank Bob Fischer, Founder of the Virginia Institute for Effective Thinking and author of The Naked Portfolio Manager. Bob gave us a tutorial on Edward de Bono’s Six Hats Thinking and everyone is still talking about his presentation.

Thursday 5/30 - On Thursday the office looked like a ghost town, because most of the team was on the campus of Richard Bland College in Petersburg, where Art Director Scott Harris and our friends at BES Studios worked hard shooting a new TV ad for the Commonwealth’s Junior College. Many thanks to the two dozen smiling faces who came out to be extras and, don’t worry, I’ll be sharing this new TV spot with you in next week’s Weekly Report.

I had the pleasure of speaking to about 100 members of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services on Thursday morning in the Senate room of the Virginia State Capitol. It was a fun and lively crowd, and I got a cool new coffee mug for my troubles. If you ever need a speaker for your business or civic organization, I am always happy to talk… but most of you already know that. Call Lindsey at our office (804.521.4141) or visit my personal website madmain.com.

Friday 5/31 - Today is a special day for several members of staff. Not only is it my wedding anniversary, but it is also Marketing Administrator Lindsey Durfee’s birthday, which we will be celebrating the entire month of June. If the Queen of England can get a yearlong jubilee, then Lindsey Durfee can at least get a month-long celebration.

I dropped by Alberta Smith Elementary earlier to have lunch with my favorite 5th grader. I’m always happy to share some Subway with Jack and 300 of his closest friends. Realizing that this might be the last time I’ll be visiting Jack in elementary school made me a little bit nostalgic today. Sniff sniff. Ahh, the memories.

Apparently there are several fans of the M+M Weekly Report in the front office at ASE. I heard some very kind words today from Speech Therapist Marlene Braytenbah, who says she enjoys getting the report each Friday.

Yours truly with my favorite 5th grader as we scarf down some Subway. He’s the one with the blue mohawk. Eat Fresh if your hair is “fresh”.

I’m about to finalize plans for dinner tonight but need your help. Where should I take Sue: Morton’s or The Tobacco Company? Email me back and let me know.  :-)

Thanks, as always, for reading the Weekly Report. Wherever you go, I hope you make some great memories.

Best regards,

Dave

To start off – I love Twitter! It is a great way to keep in touch with friends, stay up to date with news and be connected in many ways. However, it is also important to use Twitter in good taste.

Here are eight things to avoid when using Twitter:

1. Posting inappropriate photos. A common mistake you hear about involves individuals who post inappropriate photos on their social media account. As a rule of thumb, if you don’t want everyone to see it then don’t post it.

2. Cursing. Please refrain from using curse words on Twitter.

3. Personal attacks. A personal attack on another Twitter user can send negative messages to your followers and if your profile is public, everyone can see what you are tweeting. This audience could include potential employers, clients or other business professionals.

4. #over #using #hastags. Using too many hashtags in one tweet can overcrowd the content. Please try to keep your hashtags to a minimum.

5. Personal information. Releasing personal information over Twitter can have negative consequences. For example, if you tweet out any financial information your account could be at risk.

6. Confidential information. All confidential information should be kept confidential. Be careful not to tweet news that has not been released to the public.

7. Gossip and conversations. Please leave personal gossips, rumors or full on conversations out of social media. Twitter has a 140-word count to keep things short and sweet.

8. Negativity. You do not want to tweet negatively about a friend, client, business professional etc. on your account. If you would not like the whole world to hear, see or read it then please avoid tweeting about it. For example, do not tweet negatively about a business client.

Follow us on Twitter @madisonmain!

Monday 5/20 - By Senior Account Manager Katie Hurst. Monday started off the same way that most Mondy’s start off… with the big MMMMM. For those of you who don’t already know, that’s the Madison+Main Monday Morning Meeting and this week was nothing short of spectacular. We had two great announcements 1) we revealed the first winner of our 2013 Summer Intern Ad Challenge, Emily Farrar and 2) we announced our newest client Foundation Basketball Group!

Tuesday 5/21 - By Marketing Administrator Lindsey Durfee. Tuesday was quiet this week with some of the Main-iacs out of the office on vacation, but it didn’t stay that way for too long. It was non-stop Social Media all day long where Graphic Designer Colleen Festa worked on Facebook layouts, Social Media guides, and several other cool things for client websites.

On Tuesday night, Senior Account Manager Katie Hurst and Account Executive Sarah Dawes represented us at the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Public Square: A Series on Young Professionals where young RVA professionals reflect on their involvement in shaping a study on how to attract and retain more like them.

Wednesday 5/22 - By Digital Marketing Manager Dorsey McFadden. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new Digital Marketing Intern Emily Pickering. Emily is a senior at VCU majoring in Mass Communications. She shows up each morning with a giant Starbucks Ice Coffee, a big smile and dives right into the digital world with me. On behalf of all of us, welcome to the M+M family Emily!

Here’s Emily P enjoying breakfast. As you know, a well-fed Intern makes a happy intern!

On Wednesday “Team Emily” spent the day learning about Search Engine Marketing. “Team Emily” is comprised of Emily F and Emily P. In order to help several clients with their Search Engine Marketing, Emily P spent the day researching new analytics tools and Emily F used that data for keyword research.

Thursday 5/23 - By Art Director Scott Harris. Thursday was the longest day I’ve spent since I started at Madison+Main… 15 hours. A lot of my teammates put in a lot of hours too as we spent Thursday shooting a new TV spot for our client Davis & Green Electrical. During the early part of the day, we had a Madison+Main first – we gave a client a speaking role in his own TV spot! A huge thanks to Greg Green for being such a good sport! Watch out world, he may have a new acting career ahead of him.

Here’s a pic we shot Thursday night while rocking out to 80′s hair band music in my garage. Be on the lookout for the new spot… and remember don’t be left in the dark!

Check out Madison+Main’s Facebook for more photos! (Give us a “Like” too!)

Friday 5/24 - By Graphic Designer Colleen Festa. It’s Friday! While several of our colleagues skipped town to start the Memorial Day Weekend early, Digital Marketing Manager Dorsey McFadden brought in some yummy treats from Dixie Donuts, one of our local favorites. I was only told the donuts were yummy because I am gluten free and wasn’t able to eat any of them. :( I will pay a million dollars to someone who makes a delicous gluten-free donut.

Don’t worry folks, Dave will be back next week. We hope you enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend and if you see Dave, tell him you how much you love reading the Weekly Report when the Main-iacs takeover!

From your Main-iacs

Katie Hurst, Lindsey Durfee, Dorsey McFadden, Scott Harris & Colleen Festa ]]> http://www.madisonmain.com/blog/mm-weekly-report.html/feed 0 http://www.madisonmain.com/blog/foundation-basketball-group-signs-with-madisonmain.html http://www.madisonmain.com/blog/foundation-basketball-group-signs-with-madisonmain.html#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 19:00:11 +0000 madisonmain http://www.madisonmain.com/?p=2790 By Lindsey Durfee, Marketing Administrator

Madison+Main welcomed Foundation Basketball Group as a client on May 17, 2013.

This local Richmond organization is all about basketball training; the company focuses on providing development, instruction and training services for student athletes. Foundation Basketball Group provides training camps, clinics, one-on-one sessions, small group training and after-school programs. The programs are open to all ages (4 and up) and all skill levels, including beginner, intermediate and professional players. You can find a center near you in Glen Allen and Midlothian.

We found out about this wonderful company through Chief Idea Officer Dave Saunder’s son, Jack. He has been going to Foundation Basketball Group for the last year. Now, Madison+Main will begin developing a series of inbound and outbound marketing strategies for the organization.

Three Things I Bet You Didn’t Know:

1. Coach David, CEO and Founder of Foundation Basketball Group played as a point guard in High School.

2. Walks-ins are welcome for $10/hour at the Elementary level and $15/hour at the Middle and High School level.

3. Foundation Basketball Group sponsors Adult Pickup Games from 8:00 – 9:15pm for $5 per player.

By Dave Saunders Chief Idea Officer

“Native Advertising” is a word that has been buzzing pretty loudly without much explanation for the past year or so. Content curated for social and mobile channels has brought with it new avenues for your marketing message. Paid posts, sponsored messages, shared posts and twitter testimonials are all new forms of time tested techniques; the testimonial, the advertorial, celebrity endorsement, etc. An increasingly savvy audience requires marketers to figure out new ways to weave a marketing opportunity into the delivery of truly desirable content.

Do you have a question for Dave? Is there a topic you would like to see him discuss?

Advertising? Marketing? PR? Social Media? Email us at shout@madisonmain.com.