Articulon Insights

Articulon Wins Three InSpire Awards

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InSpire 1Articulon received three InSpire Awards from the North Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The agency was recognized for its work on behalf of MoonRunners Saloon and SAFE Haven for Cats during the sixth annual InSpire Awards banquet on May 7, 2014.

Articulon won Best in Category for their direct response campaign – SAFE Haven for Cats Saves “The Lucky 8.”  The Raleigh PR and branding agency also received Awards of Excellence in the following categories:

  • Bronze InSpire Award: Media Kit – Bar Rescue Unveils MoonRunners Saloon on National TV
  • Bronze InSpire Award: Direct Response Campaign – SAFE Haven for Cats Saves “The Lucky 8”

“The Articulon team takes great pride in receiving three InSpire Awards for our work creating compelling messages that continue to not only reach our clients’ audiences, but also show results,” says Cindy Stranad, APR, Articulon principal. “It is a tremendous honor to stand in celebration next to our peers.”

Modeled after PRSA’s national Bronze and Silver Anvil Awards, the InSpire Awards highlight the best PR and communications programs throughout North Carolina. Silver InSpire Awards recognize entire campaigns, while Bronze InSpire Awards honor specific tactics or components of programs. Articulon was recognized with a Bronze InSpire Award for creation of a media kit for a sneak preview event for a restaurant transformed by Bar Rescue, as well as a Bronze InSpire and Best in Category for a direct response campaign resulting from an animal cruelty incident where 90 animals were discovered being hoarded in a Wake County home.

These awards build upon the recognition Articulon has received for a commitment to exceptional client work and community involvement. The firm has been recognized as one of the top 25 public relations firms in the Triangle for seven years by the Triangle Business Journal, has won numerous industry awards including Best in Division Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for creative and PR excellence, and an ADDY® award from the American Advertising Federation Raleigh-Durham chapter. Additionally in 2010, Articulon was selected by an independent group of judges as a Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award recipient based on sustained growth and innovation.

Writing vs. Speaking: Knowing the Audience

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This week, I attended a professional development luncheon with the Raleigh Public Relations Society to hear Lisa Luten speak. For those of you who don’t know, Lisa Luten is the Director of Communication (and part time comedian) for the Wake County Public School System. This woman is hilarious! Lisa is best known for her work as one of the many voices behind @WCPSS, the famous Twitter account for the school system.

If you do not follow this account – stop reading this and click here.

WCPSS

The account has received national media coverage for their hilarious tweets that are sarcastic, funny, and completely the opposite of anything you would expect from a government twitter account. Their most famous coverage was from a Wake County student who created a Buzzfeed article that went viral causing the account’s followers to skyrocket to nearly 50,000.

So what exactly is it that makes this account so amazing and hilarious? Lisa did a great job educating everyone in attendance – the answer is very simple and something we all know:

Focus on your target audience, learn their language, and speak to them accordingly.

It is easy to hear this and write it off because so often we feel we are already accomplishing it. However, this task, especially to agency people, may become slightly harder to maintain as client language begins to blur together.

Lisa explained the message simply by saying there are two ways people communicate – talking and writing. Most people speak to their followers on social media in their “written” language. This is formal, factual and often boring. The point? Social media lingo isn’t supposed to sound like a press release.

Again, this may seem like common knowledge, but so often it is easier to speak in facts than to really consider your audience and understand how they speak and what they’re talking about.

Who is the target audience of the @WCPSS twitter? Easy, the 100,000 students who are in the Wake County Public School System. That’s the very reason their twitter uses the newest lingo and starts hashtags asking kids to send them #TeacherSelfies.

Although maybe not the first time hearing this advice, it is always a great reminder to really consider who is reading your social media content – and how they would best interact and respond to it. We may not all have as much flexibility in our client accounts to do something so unique, but consider trying a few things to appeal to the specific audience.

Lisa’s advice? When you don’t know if it’ll work – try it out! The best thing about social media is you can typically tell if people resonate with the post pretty quickly.

Managing Productivity

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It’s an interesting thing how we can get so wrapped up in our daily “To-Dos.” Sometimes it seems that stepping into the office can be a time warp. Before you realize it, eight hours have vanished.

Recently, I realized that I had been in the office for 11 days straight. Part of that reason was our “Extreme Office Makeover” that took place in a matter of one weekend (I’m not joking).

However, it’s important to make sure that long days aren’t spent 100 percent pounding away at your keyboard. I personally take deliberate action to break up my day and have found it drastically improves my work, interactions with colleagues and overall job satisfaction.

Here are a few of my tips:

  1. Laugh. Most people would agree that they work better in a fun, productive environment. It often seems that we get so focused on deadlines that we forget to step back and realize that we are surrounded with other people. I intentionally will try to say something random every few hours to break up the sound of typing keys and phones ringing.
  2. Daily Schedules. I work hard to schedule out my day based on when I am most effective. Mornings tend to be best for knocking out small, standard “To-Dos.” This helps me clear my plate (and mind) for the larger tasks. Afternoons I find myself being more productive in strategic projects and creative brainstorming.
  3. Take Breaks. This is my number one suggestion. As any of my colleagues will vouch, I take a lunch break nearly every day, and the days I don’t, they wish that I had. The mid-day break really has nothing to do with the food, but is all about taking a breather, leaving the office and letting your brain rest. Additionally, I try to get up from my computer and walk around every few hours. Taking 10 minutes to let your brain catch up will pay off in productivity in the long run.

We all want the same thing – high level of job satisfaction with high quality work – figure out what methods work best for you, and begin fitting the actions into your schedule.

For further thoughts on the topic, I found a great article in the NY Times discussing a similar subject. Click here to read the article.

14 Reasons for Marketers to Be Excited About 2014 (Part Two) – eZanga

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As we said last week, we’re excited for the next year in marketing. From social media becoming even bigger and more integrated into other marketing channels, to harnessing big data into manageable sets for more data-driven marketing, things are looking up.

But every marketer is different, from their preferences to their job duties, so I didn’t see a point in writing an entire post on why I’m looking forward to becoming a better marketer this year. I want to know what you think.

Last week we showed you a few other marketer’s opinions, and here are a few more:

  • “The marketing automation landscape is filled with high-value solutions but they also come at a high cost and so are out of reach for smaller businesses, which is a shame. Most analysts agree that if marketing automation is done well, it can increase revenues between 20-30%. For most smaller companies though, the costs would outweigh the advantage. In 2014, I believe we’ll see more solutions designed from the ground up for small businesses and priced so that they can finally take hold of the opportunity they offer.” – Stewart Rogers, Head of Product at Salesformics (Tweet this!)
  • “I’m looking forward to an increase in companies sponsoring events as a form of advertising. I think that consumers are starting to become more numb to the ads that we’re bombarded with on a daily basis, and for companies to find a way to get their message out, they’ll need to create an interactive brand experience for consumers.” – Adam Bruk, Account Manager at Digital Third Coast (Tweet this!)
  • “The most exciting news to date is effective embedded marketing tools. Being able to launch a campaign in one click from a website or to engage with thousands of interested like-minded constituents on an ongoing basis without draining your work day. These sizzling tech tools are a delight.” – Michele Fisher, Director of Marketing at ICAST USA (Tweet this!)
  • “One of the things that I am most excited about is the future of visual marketing. Even within this past year, the amount of content that has become visual through infographics, videos, and even pictures or memes is astonishing. With the huge increase of success in Pinterest, Vine, and Instagram within the social media world, it’s just a quick glimpse into the way individuals are leaning towards visualization. Take heed marketers: 2014 is a year of aesthetics and visual marketing – prepare to get on board.” – James Williams, Social Media Specialist at Articulon (Tweet this!)
  • “I’m really excited for the marketing industry to move away from building links for search rankings and onto developing content for brand exposure. Content will always be king when it comes to digital marketing and the shift towards content marketing has taken a major step in that direction over the previous year and I predict will shift even greater towards it in 2014. Good on-site content creates a more engaging experience for your users and helps to create trust in your brand.” – Matthew Zajechowski, Outreach Manager at Digital Third Coast (Tweet this!)
  • “I’m most excited about Google Authorship. Google will be developing this over the coming months and years. You will be able to build up your authority as a writer. To measure this, Google will probably take into account social signals, search behavior, and the authority of your blog, etc. With good personal authority, you will be at an advantage for any new websites or blogs you start up. It won’t be like starting from scratch.” – Jon Rhodes, AffiliateHelp (Tweet this!)
  • “We’re excited for content marketing to continue to evolve towards something that is of great value to the audience. A lot of organizations are trying their hand at content marketing, but they’re not doing too well. The problem is they can’t shake the muscle memory of talking about their own services and products. In 2014, the shift towards more journalistic, audience-focused content will continue.” – John Miller, President of Scribewise (Tweet this!)

 

What are you most excited for? Leave your marketing optimism in the comments below or tweet them to @eZangaInc!

Setting Goals

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After reading Mike’s most recent blog post about a couple of his New Year’s career resolutions on organization, it made me wonder what I had in store for 2014. Resolutions have always been a huge thing for me in my personal life, but I never considered them in my professional life. So I’ve put a lot of thought into what I would like to accomplish in the new year. Below are my top three career resolutions for 2014.

Become a Teacher

Beginning in just a few short days, Articulon will be bringing on two new team members. This will be the first time since joining the agency that I will no longer be the “new guy” in the office. Additionally, I have been placed in charge of the internship program and managing much of the day-to-day tasks of our two new “Articulates” (newbies). This is an intimidating task, because I have always only been responsible for myself and my own work, which is all within my control. However, throwing a new, third party into the mix will definitely be a leadership experience that I look forward to beginning.

Become a Speaker

With four years of education and seven months of agency experience under my belt, I have learned more than I ever thought possible in a short time. With this in mind, I’d like to share these experiences with industry peers. After feeling the rush of my first taste of this…(see Feeling Social blog post), I’ve realized how valuable it is for Articulon, and for myself to start showcasing knowledge and skills to the benefit of our clients. I also would love the opportunity to return to my alma mater to speak about my experience in the real world of PR – something that is not accurately portrayed in the classroom.

Become a Professional Peer

When I moved to Raleigh in May of 2013, I expected to make new friends quickly and fall into a group of like-minded young professionals. Sadly, eight months later, I still feel a void from this expectation. I realize this is partially my fault. However, my eyes have been opened to the lack of similarities and drive in some of the peers my age. As a young professional with huge dreams and aspirations, I look to surround myself with other people who can relate with my woes and rejoice with my successes; individuals who understand the industry and can motivate me to become a better professional. With this in mind, I look to become more involved in local organizations like Raleigh Public Relations Society and NCPRSA. Although sometimes they may seem like an added responsibility and distraction from day-to-day account management, I know it will pay off long term, and I look forward to more involvement in 2014. I know Raleigh-Durham is a great place for me to meet people and create a circle of peers.

As the new year rapidly approaches, I am thankful for the huge changes I have seen in 2013. It’s hard to comprehend the possibilities that 2014 may bring. However, I welcome them with open arms. As I work to succeed in all three of my resolutions, I encourage everyone to consider what it is they want to see in their professional life within the next 365 days and beyond. It’s hard to accomplish a goal without setting one first.