Click on this one minute video to hear Dave explain the difference customised email campaigns have made to his business and database.

Wouldn't you walk 900 miles for this? 

My friend and I love to have completely frivolous experiences. This past weekend, we decided that we were going to go to Queensland for the day, just to go to Sizzler. The premise of the idea was that it was so stupid… we just had to do it. We got on a plane at 6.05 AM Saturday morning and returned at 10.10PM that night. However, like many, you may ask ‘Why Sizzler?’

Back in the late 90s Sizzler restaurants closed down all over Adelaide. Not that this really affected my life that much, but when I talked to a colleague who had recently been to Queensland and said she visited Sizzler, it conjured up so many memories of Potato Skins, Cheese Toast and Chocolate Mousse! It made me think back to my childhood and the family trips to the Sizzler restaurant. Nothing had changed. It was EXACTLY the same. … and the cheese toast was as good as I remember. It was comforting to relive those fond childhood memories.

This burst of spontaneity did get me thinking about how far people will go for a brand. Even though I would not say I am a loyal Sizzler patron, I thought there must be something lurking in my sub-conscious that didn’t think this was such a stupid idea after all. Why is it that I chose, of all silly things I could do, to travel half way across the country for Cheese Toast?

After consideration, I can bring it down to the ‘Sizzler Experience’. I thought about how important customer experiences are to a business. From a designer’s point of view, we are often handed a job to design a logo: essentially we create the ‘face’ of the company. We send it off to the client, and more often than not, that is the end of the job. We have no idea how they will use it. We can provide suggestions, but in the end, it is the client’s prerogative how they continue to represent their company.

Identity development should not stop at a logo. What kind of experience are your customers or clients having with your business? If a logo is the ‘face’ of the company, should we not also consider the ‘body’, the ‘clothes’ and the way the company ‘speaks’? All of these elements, much like a person, go to represent ‘who’ you are.  The visual needs to work hand in hand with the overall conduct of a business. A well-designed logo is a great start, but we need to follow it up with all the other ‘stuff’. A good location or ‘body’ is relevant, and if you don’t have that ‘dress’ your business with the interiors, graphics and furniture that extends who you are. On top of this, there is the service you provide or the way you ‘speak’. Great service is paramount, and it's quality can make or break your customer retention. You need to be the whole package and provide people with an experience that sets you apart from your competitors. Essentially, as a business, you need to look further into your branding than just a logo.

Everyone enjoys different things. I don’t know many people who would have travelled all the way to QLD just to go to Sizzler, but it’s the kind of frivoulous experience that I enjoy. The 'Sizzler Experience' is a system of procedures for ordering and choosing food, the presentation of complimentary cheese toast on arrival and an overall family friendly dining experience. The food is not anything to write home about, but the experience was what we were looking for, even if it was in part to relive my childhood. If Sizzler was a person, it would be that bogan aunty that I would visit a couple of times a year, and I would always hang out for her amazing chocolate cake because it was the only thing she made well.

Give your business personality, be relatable, and remember that every contact with your company is extending your brand. If you consider this, maybe someone will go that extra ‘992.43’ miles for you. 

So it's no wonder that companies go to greats lengths to protect their database and grow it. In fact, I've been employed by companies that have bought other businesses and hired new employees for the sole purpose of adding their network of contacts to the existing company database.

Over time, if developed and nurtured correctly, your database will become a saleable commodity.

The question is however, in our busy schedules, how do we keep our databases active, healthy and current?

We are happy to report that the truth is out there...

There are a new breed of bulk email delivery applications that boast a comprehensive range of analytical tools designed to give you accurate information about exactly what your database is doing. When integrated into a well run email campaign, these applications can tell you exactly who opened your email, what links they clicked on, if they went to your website and what they did when they got there.

This information is priceless. It can tell you who is most active, what their interests are, whether or not they need to be personally contacted and who you should be removing.

The facts do not lie.

As a result of well run email campaigns we have seen our clients modify their activities to better utilise, service and grow their database. This is due to the accuracy of the information produced enabling them to make informed business decisions.

At Nucleus Media, we use and promote Nucleus Campaign Manager and have seen it produce tangible results for our clients. If you would like more information about the email campaigns we run and how they can help you and your business, please drop us a line.

As candidates flood our streets, stobie poles, fences, shop windows and letterboxes with seemingly pointless, self-indulgent materials, it makes me wonder, does any of this even contribute to the voters decision making? Do these materials even do anything but contribute to the destruction of forests, increase of landfill and their carbon footprint? While it may not be the opinion of everyone, the mixed messages of these people who are allegedly leading change in our environment, really bothers me! They are supposedly the number one choice to protect our environment yet they too are printing thousands upon thousands of posters and pointless, annoying materials. Is their campaign message “do as I say, not as I do”? I’m confused.

It did however bring me to think about the way in which our business manages our carbon footprint and how we can work in a more efficient and paperless organisation. The team at Nucleus Media rely heavily on electronic communication rather than printed documents. We use the relatively competitive cost of digital printing to our advantage and only print materials in small runs on a needs basis. We are currently in the process of building an internal job management system to efficiently manage our creative workload without relying on the traditional paper trail.

Carbon footprint is always taken into consideration when making recommendations to our clients, with particular importance placed on how our recommendations will be perceived by their consumers. We also partner with other organisations and suppliers that make the same conscious efforts we do to decrease our negative impact on the environment. And we are always looking for new ways to do this.

The team also take other small measures to reduce our carbon footprint like turning off the lights, air conditioners and computers when not in use.

Have you stopped and thought about your carbon footprint? Take a look at your processes and procedures. What can you do better, greener and more effectively?

Make it a point of discussion and don’t be afraid to tell your clients how you are effectively reducing your carbon footprint. Simple things like using FSC approved paper allows you to have a mark printed on your letterhead or business card to acknowledge your actions. Lead by example and do as you say.

There is one good thing about those nonsense election posters though, the far more honest and thought provoking messages that local ‘artists’ graffiti over the top. Some are great for a laugh!

These things are what lasting working relationships are founded by. Making an effort to be that genuine, likeable representative of your firm who can stay in contact through the busy.....and not so busy times. A working relationship with your client is not just about what comes your way in monetary terms, but that by being patient and staying in touch even when there is nothing to receive – that strong relationships will be built, and in turn business to business relationships will come to fruition.

Next time you have second thoughts about keeping in touch with that client who only offers a small glimmer of a possibility, stick it out. Small seeds eventually grow and business will prosper for a person who can do the right thing by those around them by growing the relationship before you expect to benefit from it.

So smile, you never know who’s watching!

There have been those who have referred to current trends of their day as passing fads.  I would think though that any trend that is creating this amount of interest is well worth investigating to see how your organisation or business can benefit from being 'hand held', so to speak.

For some time now people have used their mobile for more than making a phone call.  With the advent of smart phone apps they are paying bills while enjoying a coffee...they're playing addictive games...they're researching and making purchasing decisions wherever they have down time.  It is a new day of product placement and advertising acumen.

My point is simply this...however you are currently marketing your business or communicating with people who are yet to hear about your outstanding product, there is always going to be some new method to consider.  Whether or not an iPhone App is for you right now, I would encourage a courageous outlook into how you diversify your marketing strategy in the midst of new technology.

It's worth thinking about.  It's worth talking about.  We're happy to spend some time considering the possibilities with you.

Well there is no better time to put a plan in place or review your existing strategy than at the start of the year. Especially when that year ushers in a new decade.

Many of our non-retail clients have been reporting an unusually busy December 2009 and January 2010, traditionally quiet months for non-retail sectors. Our experience at Nucleus Media supports this. We have gained three major new clients during this period which is uncommon for the advertising industry at this time of year. 

Based on this kind of activity it seems confidence is returning which is an indicator that 2010 is shaping up to be a very positive year for business.

Therefore, it is a great time to ask questions like:

• Are we prepared to take advantage of the current business climate?
• What have we learnt from the economic downturn and is our business stronger for it?
• Do we have a strategy that will take us confidently into a new decade?
• Is our web strategy current and/or effective?
• What portion of our business will need to be web based to be competitive in the future?
• Does our brand image suit 2010, this new decade and future growth?
• What new technologies do we need to explore to keep current? And which do we ignore?
• What place will social networking have in our future?
• What is happening right now in our market segment?
• Are our materials suitable for growth?
• What is our communication strategy?
• etc....

Taking time out to ask yourself these questions and review your business strategy can not only increase your revenue but can save you lost opportunities, motivate your staff and ensure the long term health of your business. Is it time to update your business plan? Is it time you put a five or ten year plan in place?

Our advice is simple, make sure you have a plan in place to ensure success in 2010.

A colleague and I were in a meeting to take a brief for a pitch against some other advertising agencies for the account of a prospective new client.

As per usual we started by handing them our business cards, and then continued with the meeting. A little later the client said "I've gotta stop you right there and let you know that you already have our business." We were stunned because we hadn't finished receiving the brief for the pitch yet. On enquiry the client said that it was because they loved our business cards and that they were more creative and modern than our competitors. Therefore they felt sure they wanted to use us.

For every person that has the courage to speak up, like this client, there are hundreds of others who won't. Therefore it stands to reason that there would be a great number of potential clients that we come across day to day that will be influenced by our corporate image.

With that in mind, what do your business cards say about you? Your letterheads, your logo, your office, your car, your clothes, your speech?  All of these have an impact on how others perceive you, and ultimately these factors will help prospective clients decide whether they will do business with you or not.

Our recommendation is to invest in your image, it may just be the difference between winning a major account or just being one of the players.

Click here to see for yourself a video of what this client had to say...