LET’S GET SOCIAL!
Attract and Retain Your Donors with an Integrated Online Strategy
by Angela Hill, President and Creative Director INCITRIO | Creative Solutions for Global Brands
In today’s marketing environment, “social media” has become an all-encompassing buzzword that excites and terrifies professionals everywhere. What is it exactly? Why do I need it? And, most importantly, what exactly can social media do for me without eating up all of my valuable time?
In this workshop, Angela Hill from Incitrio will teach you the basics of social media as well as share cutting edge techniques to help you kick-start your online marketing campaign. Listen to non-profit case studies, large and small, to discover fascinating ways your peers are using social media to leverage their internal teams. Learn how to create your own social media plan that is scalable and attainable. Discover best practices for training your staff and volunteers to communicate online. Discuss how social media can leverage and augment your existing content. And, lastly, use social media as a powerful tool to manage ongoing donor relationships, engage your volunteers and attract new funding.
What Attendees Will Learn:
o Social Media – terminology, tactics and tools
o Best practices case studies from small and large non-profit organizations
o How to create your own social media plan
o Best practices for training staff/volunteers to communicate online
o How to leverage existing content across multiple platforms to create “buzz”
o Tips for managing ongoing donor relationships, volunteer engagement and fundraising online
About the Presenter
Angela Hill is the President and Creative Director of Incitrio, a boutique graphic design and branding agency. Incitrio specializes in brand strategy and brand implementation via design for print, design for web, and fully integrated marketing campaigns.
Since 1992, Ms. Hill has worked in the graphic design, branding and marketing industry within in-house agencies, advertising, marketing, and design firms in St. Louis, San Francisco, and San Diego. In 2008, she received the YWCA’s TWIN Award. The Tribute to Women of Influence (TWIN) Awards Program honors not only women who demonstrate excellence and top leadership within their companies, but also the companies that employ these women.
Ms. Hill has experience creating and implementing brand strategy for organizations located throughout the world. Prior to starting her current firm, Ms. Hill’s national clients included: Hallmark, Williams Sonoma, Mars Candy, Energizer, Ford, Intel, Pepsi, Foster Farms, Sega, Merrill Lynch, Visa, and PG&E.
Ms. Hill currently provides brand analysis, strategy and implementation to such corporations as: 3ECompany, The American Council on Exercise, Barney&Barney, Capstone, California Center for Sustainable Energy, Claritas (a division of Nielsen), Open Energy, Marsh, Nanogen, and the Veterinary Specialty Hospital.
Presentation Download
Click here to download the Social Media for Non Profits presentation or view online. For additional questions, please contact startfresh at incitrio dot com or call 858-202-1822.
August 7th, 2009
Incitrio is a boutique design firm located in Sorrento Valley, San Diego, California. We work primarily with B2B clients in California, but have clients around the US and the world. We are seeking a senior designer / art director with a minimum 10 years experience to come in on a 3-month full-time placement starting the last week of August. We will accept applications from designers not living in San Diego, but we will not pay for relocation and we require the 3rd interview be conducted in person.
Qualifications
Must have – expert level design, production and software skills, multi-page layout, identity, branding, and web design, hard-work ethic, mellow personality, sense of humor, ability to follow directions, AIGA membership
Like to have – packaging design, sustainability and cause marketing experience, understanding of social media, seo, ppc and online marketing
Great to have, but not required – ability to speak/write in Chinese, ability to program in html
Corporate Culture
We work hard and play hard. Office hours are 8am-6pm M-Th and 8am-12pm Fri. Our goal is to give 110% at work so you have the freedom to recharge with your family, friends in your off hours. We believe balance is critical and almost never work late and absolutely do not work weekends. We create award-winning work and so attention to detail is vital as well as an ability to spell. If you love typography and color theory, you’ll love it here. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and we have a very family-like environment.
To Apply
Please send a cover letter, resumé and business card via the mail (yes, snail mail) to Angela Hill, President of Incitrio. Include the answers to the following questions: 1. I started my design career… 2. I’m still in design because I love… 3. My favorite font is… 4. My favorite pantone is… 5. The most challenging project I ever worked on was…
Incitrio
10951 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 2c
San Diego, CA 92121
Thanks and we look forward to receiving your resumés!
July 21st, 2009
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Just claiming my Technorati blog!
July 13th, 2009
5 ONLINE MARKETING SECRETS TO INCREASING YOUR REVENUE AND PROFITABILITY
Through Search Engine Optimization and Website Design Optimization
In today’s economy, a marketing plan that’s not performing is unacceptable. No longer can you afford to leave any aspect of your budget unexamined. If you’re spending any money whatsoever on online marketing vehicles such as: your website, search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC or paid search) or email marketing, it is absolutely vital that your sales team and more importantly, your bottomline, are seeing results. The following are 5 must-read online marketing secrets that are 100% guaranteed to radically increase your sales funnel, revenue and profitability.
1. ESTABLISH YOUR BASELINE
Behind every great business is a strong business plan. Equally true, behind every great online marketing campaign is a strong marketing plan and performance metrics. Establish your baseline with regular monthly analytic reports from your marketing dept. or vendor.
Websites: Setup a Google Analytics account (free) to measure and analyze site traffic. Pay-Per-Click (PPC): Review reports from your Google Adwords account (free) to measure campaign performance. Email Marketing: Request reports from your email dashboard (free) to review click thru and open rates. Use the information to optimize your online efforts and ensure your marketing dollars are working hard for you.
2. DETECT BUDGET LEAKS
Challenge: Your website analytics show a bounce rate higher than 50%. Visitors are leaving (aka bounce-ing) because they are not finding what they need. Solution: Rewrite your content or alter your website design to ensure they find exactly what they are looking for…immediately.
Challenge: Your keyword traffic or terms don’t make sense and you are repeating the wrong words over and over on your site. Solution: Align keywords with the pages visitors are visiting the most. Determine new keywords based on relevant terms and rewrite that page’s content.
Challenge: Your email newsletters are not delivering (aka going through) at least 90% of the time. You’re likely using an email provider that is blacklisted because they allow other clients to send spam. Solution: Switch email service providers. Make sure they are whitelisted and can send your emails in html and text versions to guarantee a much higher delivery rate.
Challenge: Your website is not converting (prospects are not contacting you). Solution: Determine a measurable conversion point (what does sales need as a signal that a viewer is a qualified prospect) and make sure it’s easy to find – request a demo, download a white paper, etc.
3. OPTIMIZE YOUR SITE
Challenge: Sales prospects are not contacting you. Solution: Look at ways to redesign your site, check to make sure relevant content falls into a “Z” or “F” pattern – it has been scientifically proven that this is how visitors interact with sites. Integrate a strong call to action – 800#, request a quote, etc. on every page.
Challenge: Potential prospects are not qualified appropriately before contacting you. Solution: Develop optimized landing pages (a hybrid between: about, features/benefits and your contact form). Perform A-B testing (different variations) based on design, content and time of day to discover the best performers and tie them to your PPC campaign to increase conversions.
4. INCREASE YOUR SALES BY 480%
Maximize your online efforts by determining your cost per customer acquisition (how much you’re willing to pay for a sales lead from your site). When you optimize this expense, you can actually predict performance and determine which variables need to be modified for optimal efficiency.
Radical sales growth begins when you factor in your cost per customer acquisition with your sales team’s close rate and your pay-per-click campaign to generate incredible results within 6 months or less.
How does it work? Review Company Z case study for the formula.
By inputting your own variables, you can accurately project the amount of revenue you will generate from your online sales efforts. (Results may vary.)
5. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT
After all of the steps are complete, go back to Step #1 and begin again. Through careful evaluation, like a car’s engine, you can tune-up your online marketing efforts to guarantee that they are producing optimal results.
If your acquisition cost is too high simply because your keywords are expensive or your site is not converting, then it is absolutely vital to re-assess your online marketing efforts and push your marketing department or vendors to improve results. Use your monthly reports as a means to drive that discussion and find budget leaks.
Lastly, remember the golden rule: If prospects are not buying from you or your competitors online, then don’t waste your money on online marketing. Save it for whatever vehicle works best for you – tradeshows, advertising, brochures, pr, etc. to ensure your sales team is converting every prospect and building long-term revenue.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For the past 17 years, Angela Hill has worked with global business and consumer brands. Today, as president of the award-winning graphic design and branding agency Incitrio, she partners with clients to build and grow strong, innovative brands that consistently outperform their competition.
Incitrio
10951 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 2C
San Diego, California 92121
858.202.1822 tel
startfresh@incitrio.com email
incitrio.com web
This article was originally written for Smart Business magazine in April 2009.
Click here to request the PDF version of this article.
June 3rd, 2009
Incitrio is proud to announce that our design for blog site: iLuvTrees.org was just selected from hundreds of competitors to win one of Graphic Design USA’s American Web Design Awards.
For four decades, the editors of Graphic Design USA have sponsored national competitions that focus on areas of special opportunity for the creativity community. The goal: to highlight emerging areas of expansion, to recognize great work by often underappreciated creative professionals, and, most importantly, to trumpet the value of design to business and society.
Our newest annual competition — the American Web Design Awards — is firmly in this tradition. It celebrates the power of a well-designed site to attract audiences, communicate information, generate engagement and response, and market products and services. The emphasis, in light of our expertise, is on visual design and aesthetics.
Every winner will automatically be published online in the American Web Design Awards Web Edition, with images and full credits on our popular website, hosted on our popular 100,000 visitor-a-month website, for the entire calendar year 2009. Winners will also be listed with links to their winning work in a special article in Graphic Design USA magazine and in a special enewsletter sent to the entire creative community.
To view the winning entry, click on the GDUSA Link and then click on Incitrio (winners are categorized by design firm name).
April 20th, 2009
I’ve been told quite a bit that I’m a maven when it comes to networking. Recently, I was asked to write some tips for a magazine in California on networking. The tips were so great, that I figured I would share it with all of you. Let me know what you think and feel free to email me if you need additional tips.
The Art of Personal Branding
Successful networking is basically the same thing as personal branding, and at the end of the day…it’s all about developing a good strategy. Think of your networking strategy in terms of a two-pronged approach: 1. events where your target audience or circle of influencers are most likely to be and 2. events that match your personal interests.
Business Networking
For the business networking events, make sure to pick a time of day when you’re at your peak. For example, if you’re a morning person, only go to breakfast events. If you’re a night owl, go to evening socials and dinners. By choosing a time of day when you’re at your best, you’re guaranteed to reduce the nervousness factor and make it easier for yourself to meet new contacts.
Personal Networking
For the personal events, make sure to pick topics that are really interesting to you. If you love wine, join a wine club. If you love swimming, get on a masters swim team at your gym. When you share common interests, it’s easy to break the ice and talk about what you do from a non-threatening perspective.
Networking is Like Dating
People buy from people they: like, know and trust. Great sales, and therefore networking, is all about building long-term relationships. So, if you think about networking like dating, the rules are fairly straightforward: be a good listener, make eye contact, don’t act desperate, don’t have a triple espresso before you show up, shower, dress nice and smile.
Control the Conversation
Another tip is to strategically control the conversation. People love to talk about themselves and the more they talk, the more they feel good about you. So, start the conversation by asking them questions about themselves and be genuinely interested. Find ways to connect what they’re saying to what you do or how you can help them. Eventually, they’ll get tired of talking about themselves and ask what you do. That’s your golden opportunity to modify your elevator pitch and integrate key points that came up earlier into what you say so that it shows your actively listening and you can customize/integrate what you do into a problem they’re trying to solve or a value-added benefit to their client list.
Convert Prospects Faster
Finally, be sure to follow up! If you think about sales as having 8-10 touch points, then networking and following up each count as one. Send an email or a personal note after an event, ideally the next day. Connect with them via LinkedIn while you’re still top of mind. Follow them on Twitter or ask them to follow you. If it’s a really good potential contact, suggest a coffee or lunch meeting in 2-3 weeks so that it’s non-threatening but keeps the momentum going. If it’s a good potential referral source, connect them with someone you know that could be a good potential client for them. The more you do, the closer you get to closing the sale.
Angela Hill is the president and owner of Incitrio, a sustainably-minded branding agency located in San Diego, CA.
January 22nd, 2009
A new in-depth print sustainability study investigates designer and brand owner opinion regarding sustainable print practices. Sponsored by Monadnock Paper Mills and conducted by research firm Marketplace Insights, the Study was conducted with over 300 print designers, packaging designers and brand owners. It provides feedback on such topics as the importance of incorporating sustainable practices into projects, knowledge levels pertaining to sustainable print and packaging, the motivations to go green, and the sources most relied on for green design information. The study also probes awareness levels and perceived credibility of many environmental logos often used to display sustainability in print and packaging materials as well as designer and brand owner perceptions of the costs versus the profitability of going green. View the study here.
“We’re aware that the brand owner and designer communities are being inundated with sustainability claims, awards, certification schemes and environmental logos from suppliers, certifying bodies and even the media,” said Dave Lunati, Marketing Director for Monadnock, “We wanted to determine the perceptions of the importance these and the other factors that influence sustainable print and packaging design and determine which information is viewed as credible versus marketing hype from the individuals on the front lines of the green design movement.” The study was conducted online during the fourth quarter of 2008 through banner advertisements on print and packaging websites and through designer user groups and blogs. Respondents were motivated to take the survey by a donation to the Nature Conservancy by the study sponsor for each completed survey.
Angela Hill is the president and owner of Incitrio, a sustainably-minded branding agency located in San Diego, CA.
January 7th, 2009
Hello Fellow Brand Lovers,
Today, I came across a very interesting post regarding the winner of the Next-Gen PC Design Competition and the first place winner, the Napkin PC. This is a product that is both innovative and green. The future of product and technological innovation is being redefined. Now, it is not enough to have an cool idea, now you must fully integrate form + function. And, you must have a sustainability component fully integrated into the core rather than simply “green washing” your concept. Keep an eye out on the product horizon…this is just the beginning.
The Napkin PC
The Napkin PC is a multi-user, multi-interface, modular computer designed for creative professionals to collaborate and bring their greatest ideas to life.
Passion
The Napkin PC aims to bring out the creative passion of the user both individually and in group sessions. It encourages spreading out and allows for multiple creative workflows that can interact or just as easily stay independent. It encourages group interaction and collaboration by allowing any number of interfaces that can be passed around or pinned up, but which all communicate with a central network.
Users’ Culture & Lifestyle
The primary users are creative professionals including those in any field of design, but also expanding to include business and marketing professionals who use creative thinking to come up with business plans or marketing campaigns.
Their primary need is to have a simple system to help keep their creativity moving and maintain good collaborative communication. They want to drink a cup of coffee, pick up a pen and let their creativity flow, without having to sit down later to actually document and organize the information later.
The Napkin PC is a continuously additive system, where each new idea is already documented and organized with references and connections to related ideas. In addition each Napkin interface is an instant portal to the entire network giving quick and easy access and sharing of ideas and reference material.
Market Viability
The design appeals to business professionals. It is ideal for work groups of around 6 people (a typical brainstorming meeting) although the system is easily expandable for larger business.
The viable markets are any business that works with creative professionals. Any company that relies on brainstorming and group collaboration would benefit from using a Napkin PC. A secondary market is creative professionals who work alone or in smaller groups, but who want the same ability to spread out and use multiple workflows.
Size
Napkin interface: 180mm x 180mm x 2mm
Pen stylus: 140mm x 9mm x 10mm
Base station: 160mm x 150mm x 150mm
Mobile station: 45mm x 36mm x 15 mm
Overview of Design
The Napkin PC is innovative because of its multi-flexibility. It can have multiple users, multiple interfaces, and multiple configurations. It breaks the PC down to only the interface— a pen and a space— and then gives you a multitude of both so you can let your creativity run wild.
User & Context
The users are creative professionals who work in collaborative groups. The PC is designed to be used for brainstorming, ideation, meetings, think tanks, etc. — anywhere where creativity is the driving force.
Scenarios of Use
There are two new usage scenarios delivered by the PC. First is the brainstorming workflow. Creativity that normally starts on paper and whiteboards goes instead directly into the PC without the user changing their behavior. This creativity is richer because of the innumerable software tools and resources available on every Napkin interface. It can also be shared, compiled, and compared instantly for a smooth, speedy workflow.
The second scenario is a replacement for printing. Instead of ever putting ink on paper, the interfaces themselves instantly become “prints” when power is removed. They would then be used just like a print, pinned up, handed around, reviewed, etc. When the print is no longer needed the interface is simply returned to the base station as a fresh Napkin.
User Interface
The interface consists of any number of Napkins and one of the Pens. When powered by the Pen, the Napkin is a multi-touch input display which responds to human touch as well as the Pen. The intuitive use of a pen and paper is exploited by the design, making it very easy to use. Also the ability to work on multiple interfaces in parallel, instead of shuffling through windows on a single interface, makes multitasking much easier.
Aesthetics
The Base station is designed to interact like a napkin holder. The user can grab an interface from the stack in the middle of the table. The computer itself is somewhat hidden in the Napkin holder, its only reminder being the OLED status display on the front. The user only really interacts with the Napkins and the Pens. This helps them maintain hands-on, creative freedom. The square Napkin form is used because it is modular, but also because it conveys the idea of being one of many. This helps the user stay relaxed and open minded because less importance is put on a single interface.
Technical Aspects
The key technologies are full color e-Paper, multi-touch input, Inductive power circuits, and high speed RF wireless connections. The e-Paper is key because of its low power consumption, thinness and flexibility, and ability to retain an image without power. Multi-touch is simply the future of intuitive input that makes the PC fun, fast, and easy to use. The inductive power circuits are crucial because they allow wireless power transfer and make the interface Napkin simple and inexpensive enough to be used in large numbers. High speed RF continues to keep everything wireless and intuitively seamless.
Ecology
The environmental sustainability of the PC is most innovative with the Napkin interface. It is the most numerous component and the one most likely to need replacing due to wear over a few years. Therefore it is beneficial to make it easy to recycle which is accomplished by powering it with an inductive circuit. This eliminates a hard-to-recycle internal battery.
The second, and likely more impactful, innovation is the use of the interface as an instant “print.” This eliminates the need for printers, paper, and ink, which are used in large amounts during the creative process.
Manufacturability
The focus of the design is really in the interface – the Napkin and the Pen. Both have very limited actual function because they only relay information between the user and the base station. The Napkins are manufactured by adhering the layers of touch input, display, and power/communication circuit, between a protective plastic cover. The pens have a similar induction circuit and communication antenna set up along with a rechargeable battery to send power to the interface. The Base Station holds the actual PC, which is compact but powerful enough to handle multiple users.
Angela Hill is the President/Creative Director of Incitrio, a branding agency that provides analysis, strategy and tactics for sustainable and clean tech brands around the world.
December 5th, 2008
In an unprecedented act of kindness and generosity, President-Elect Obama, the Obama campaign and the National Democratic party have come together to donate thousands of dollars worth of supplies and equipment to school districts around the country via the iLoveSchools.com website.
In this past week, the Obama campaign and the National Democratic party have come together to donate supplies and equipment from President-Elect Obama’s campaign offices around the country. Each office has partnered with iLoveSchools.com to ensure that local campaign offices donations go directly to nearby school districts for maximum impact and effect. Click here to read more. And, google “Obama donates thousands to schools” to read articles about this nationwide effort like the one in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Incitrio is proud to have partnered with iLoveSchools.com to donate pro bono: branding analysis and strategy, logo refinement, stationery package design, collateral design, press release development, and cause marketing campaign & strategy development for the Obama partnership.
Said owner, Angela Hill at Incitrio: “iLoveSchools.com personifies the ideal non-profit: 100% of funds and equipment go directly to teachers and not ILS operations. They are making a direct impact on the nation’s Educational system by providing the opportunity for individuals and corporate donors to partner directly with teachers and schools at the local level. America’s teachers are getting the resources they need to create a better classroom environment for learning, regardless of geographic, demographic and economic limitations. Very few non profits can make that same claim.”
View samples of our design work for iLoveSchools.com: logo, website design.
Note: the new website will be live later this month, click on this link here to view the old site for comparison.
November 11th, 2008
12-Year Old Boy Shot and Killed While Trick or Treating
In Sumter, South Carolina, an ex-convict who said he thought he was being robbed gunned down a 12-year-old trick-or-treater, shot nearly 30 rounds with an assault rifle from inside his home after hearing a knock on the door. Quentin Patrick, 22, is accused of killing 12-year-old T.J. Darrisaw on Friday night. T.J.’s 9-year-old brother, Ahmadre Darrisaw, and their father, Freddie Grinnell, were injured but were released after being treated at a hospital.
The family attended a Halloween celebration in downtown Sumter, 45 miles east of Columbia, then stopped at Patrick’s house because the porch light was on, police said. Another sibling was with them but wasn’t hurt. Police said at least two of the boys were wearing ghoulish masks when they knocked on the door. The boys’ mother and a toddler stayed in the car nearby. Click here to read the full article.
A story like this is so horrible and sad to a mother of two little boys myself. A child getting hurt or killed is a parents’ worst nightmare. The fact that it came on a night that is dedicated to celebrating imagination and getting to know your neighbors, is beyond terrible. So, I am issuing a challenge. Right here. Right now.
Dear Paul Michaels, CEO of Mars, Inc. (aka Mars Candy),
What will you do to keep Halloween Safe for our Kids? In the face of tragedy, this is your moment to step up to the plate and do the right thing for your community and country. I challenge you to create a “Keep Halloween Safe” campaign.
Next Halloween, put (free) window decals in your candy bags and educate the public via television advertising. Tell the public: “Making sure our children are safe and happy this Halloween starts with you. Please put this window decal in the front window or on the front door of your house so that parents and trick or treaters know that your house is a Halloween Safe house.”
You have the marketing power, now it’s time to do the right thing for the children. Will you accept this challenge?
Sincerely,
Angela Hill
Incitrio
November 4th, 2008
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