The Case for Case Studies

Every time I recommend that a client put together a case study, they groan. Why? Too much work for too little result. Hard to argue with that. But, argue I will.

Here are the top six reasons why companies should develop case studies:

1. They are basic story-telling elements. The more complex your product or service, the more valuable a case study can be. Having case studies allows you to provide examples of how your product or service solved a compelling business problem. Let's say you are putting together a Power Point. You need examples of what you've done. Dust off the case study and voila! instant Power Point.

2. Case studies force you to consider your company's value proposition at a very tactical level. A simple case study describes a challenge, a solution and a result. Considering these three issues more critically allows leaders to make adjustments in tactics and strategy.

3. Case studies provide a window into how the author views the company's value proposition. Assigning a case study can help staff work through issues they need to master. The simple framework gives leaders a more clear understanding of how their staff addresses problems and challenges.

4. The Web demands fresh content. In meeting after meeting, clients are searching for ways to keep their Website content fresh. Case studies fit this bill and can be useful tools for search engine optimization, competitor differentiation and prospect education, among other things. Key words can be linked to products or services in other parts of a company's site or linked to partner or supplier sites.

5. Continuous learning is a good thing. Case studies are among the simplest way to get to the root of an issue not only for successes, but also failures. They're also inexpensive requiring an a couple of hours at most.

6. Nothing bad can happen as a result of creating a case study. They are like the oatmeal of corporate communications. They force you to chew on your approaches and they clean out clogged creativity. Yeah. Yeah. The metaphor's kinda lame. I still think it works, though.

In addition, to these, case studies can be used as attachments in correspondence to prospects to show them what you or your organization is capable of or as supporting material for proposals.
Media also like case studies as they define your "brand in action."

Email Newsletters for People Who Don't Want to Produce an Email Newsletter

So, you think you want to create an email newsletter. Excellent. (Deciding is the easy party.)

Now, you need to get organized. But, you don't need to do everything. Following our AMP process (trademark pending), you can get started on your own then call some professionals in to take over the rest.

A stands for Audience...

1. Do you have a list of contacts with their email addresses? If so, do you love your list? If not, who does?

2. Do these contacts want to receive news, tips, ideas, musings, instructions, advice, promotions, publicity and the like from you about 6 to 12 times per year or more?

M stands for Message...

3. Do you have a content plan? By that we mean, do you have a set of story ideas?

P stands for Process...

4. Who is going to write your newsletter and keep the ideas fresh? No body likes a boring newsletter.

5. Do you have a Website? If so, can visitors “subscribe” to your newsletter there?

With AMP out of the way, here’s what we can do:

1.We help you learn what we mean when we ask if you “love your list.”*

2.We help you build your newsletter - providing you with template editorial calendars to keep your communication interesting, lively, topical, useful - and above else, pithy.

3.We help you decide upon the optimal time and date to send the newsletter to your list.

4.We tell you how many people opened your newsletter, read it, forwarded it to a friend or clicked through to your Website. We can tell you some other cool things too.

5.We give you a piece of code that you can add to your Website so visitors can easily subscribe to your newsletter. (Don’t worry, we know how to put it on your Website.)

Here’s what we charge.

A one time set up fee: $250.

Plus

$50 per month on an annual contract. $75 per month on a quartlerly contract.

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We accept checks and Visa and Mastercard through PayPal.

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Don’t have a Website, we’ll help you set up a host-free Weblog/Website for $499.

Don’t want to write your own newsletter? We can do a “three-story” edition for $399 per edition. (1,000 word maximum; 50 cents a word after that).

SCIPAB. If you have to do a Power Point, then this is one formula to follow

SCIPAB

Situation --- what is the situation (eg. it's bad now ... world stats, environment)

Complication --- what complicates the situation (eg. it's getting worse ... the human needs that complicate the situation)

Implication --- what is the implication of S,C (eg. human pain, weather isn't fair ... someone has to do something about it)

Position --- what is our Position on S, C, I (eg. There is a better way --- our way ... we have done something)

Action --- what is the Action to take as a response (eg. we have an opportunity, and the time is now ... for you)

Benefit --- what are the key benefits of taking action (eg. in audience terms, here is how you gain your meaningful ROI)

Source: www.mandelcomm.com

How to write a "creative brief?"

I like to make myself crazy by gathering every detail possible and then torturing myself with the development of cleverly crafted creative briefs. So, here is a creative work in progress for your viewing and using pleasure:

These are questions that I like to answer when developing a "creative brief" or "creative memorandum"

What's the purpose of this creative brief? Or, what story do we desire to tell in the most creative manner possible?

What’s our business objective? Or, why in the hell are we doing this?

What kind of background information do we have?

What should this piece of brilliance look like? Is it a printed piece? Is it a video? A photo shoot? An event?

Who is the audience?

What are the messages? Don't write me a novel. Be brief. Be brilliant. Be gone.

How will this be different than what's already out there? Will it change the world? Will it make people: Act? React? Take notice? Yawn? Angry?

What miscellaneous issues do we need to be made aware of? For example, has a competitor already done this? Will we look really cool or really lame if we take this on?

How much will this cost to complete? Will it be worth the effort?

What do we do immediately after reading this?

How to use Trademark symbols

You cannot use an ® until your trade-marks are registered. While your trade-marks are in application to your chosen country, trade names and the like can be identified with a TM. Please note that there are no requirements to use symbols in Canada, however, attorneys recommend that un-filed trade-mark applications should be identified with the TM as they can accrue common law rights and marking in this manner is considered public notice.

Consideration must also be given to the fact that the use of an ® in brochures and documents that are going to foreign countries where IP applications may (or at this point in time, have not) been filed may carry consequences.

For instance, the United States has provisions in its criminal code wherein the identification of Reg. Pat. or ® to indicate that Intellectual Property is registered, when it is not, can result in criminal fraud charges. It is for this reason that legal counsel has recommended that the TM be used as it is correct in any country and also why they suggest that the Terms of Use on company web-sites include an Intellectual Property clause.

It is imperative that the information relayed to the consumer/licensee not be falsely represented.

On Blogs

The terms Weblog or blog are generic terms and do not just apply to Blogger sites. There are a wide variety of online tools that allow individuals or companies to build their own Weblog (typepad.com and livejournal.com are good examples). If you are interested in looking at more blogs, go to Technorati.com, pick a category and start surfing the Web.

The defining characteristic of a blog is that the content is organized chronologically or as an ongoing narrative. The word weblog comes from this characteristic - "web" because it is online and "log" because it is essentially an ordered list of content.

Why do I like them? Fast. Cheap. Easy. Powerful. Measurable.

Key advantages to using Weblogs for most business applications:

1. Speed. Weblogs can be established in minutes.

2. Cost. Weblogs generally have no hosting fees associated with them.

3. Flexibility. Today's Weblog programs are vastly more powerful and allow for more creativity than most Websites that we built just a few years ago. Adding content, whether it's video, audio, photos, stories, .PDF's, links, etc. is simple, fast and almost effortless.

4. Security. Weblogs can be viewed by the entire world or only those who you invite.

5. Measurability. With statistical code attached to the programming code, the behavior of visitors can be tracked easily, thus providing marketers with invaluable data.

6. Usability. Visitors or members (for private blogs) can post stories, comments and the like in a running dialog similar to how early chat rooms were comprised.

7. Collaboration. As issues are posted, members receive an email of the new posting. This increases the awareness of a particular issue among members of a private blog and is a powerful addition to any corporate communication information distribution system (damn, that's a mouthful to say)

More about Weblogs

Blogs started as personal online journals where individuals could share thoughts, comments, daily activities or anything else they felt like typing about. They gained popularity (and credibility) with news sources as well as a means of quickly sharing news and commentary online. For example, many columnists and sections at the New York Times have blogs online (which you can look at here: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/topnews/blog-index.html).

Corporate blogs have gained in popularity and credibility as well. Content for corporate blogs can vary greatly. They can be a running commentary from a key figure in the company, a place to share news on new products or services, a place to share relevant industry news and commentary on the news, and/or a forum for open dialogue between the company and the public.

Then there are blogs like Ascend Performance Group's - meant to be more of an online brochure.

Now to your big questions about why a blog instead of a traditional Web site. With a traditional Web site, your options are limited only by time, budget and creativity. With a skilled designer and programmer, you can build a Web site to look and function *exactly* how you want it to. With Blogger (and other blogging tools) you are somewhat limited by what the tools provide and allow. For example, almost all Blogger-made blogs will follow the two-column layout. You can change colors, fonts, add images and video, but you are somewhat locked in to the layout provided unless you have a somewhat advanced programming knowledge.

As far as credibility goes, blogs are a more and more accepted and valid form of online presence for companies. This may not have been true five years ago, but most people now do not have a bias between traditional Web sites and blogs.

That said, for Ascend's current purposes, we believe a blog is the right online channel at this time because:

1) We can get the blog up quickly. We do not need to spend time with a designer or programmer to layout and build the site.

2) We have control over our content. Again, it is very simple for us to edit content on the blog on our own, with out a programmer involved.

3) It's free. At some point, it may be worth paying to have a site built. But the tools provided by the blog/Blogger are enough to cover our needs for now.

A Banner for Xenium

The challenge: Create a fabric banner within 72 hours for a golf tournament.

The solution: Kinkos and our designer, Blake Frey. Everytime I want to complain about Kinkos' service, I am reminded that they really do provide an excellent and important service. I just wish we'd added a photo to bring it to life a little more. No time for that this round, though.

The result: Well, judge for yourself.

Introducing Ascend

Over the course of this year, 3 has folded up (it will be official on June 30). It's been an interesting ride since that inauspicious start in August 2001. But, it was time to move on. We've grown up and are moving out of our mother's basement joining a few other smart people who have better skills than we do. In the coming months we'll be unveiling Ascend Performance Group and explaining how it will make your company and your life a little better, easier and more joyful.

Say Hello to Our Friend, Spencer Brown

Spencer J. Brown & Associates is an executive leadership consulting firm helping CEOs and owners of privately held companies prepare for a successful sale, merger or acquisition.

About Spencer J. Brown.

Over the course of a successful and diverse business career spanning four decades, Spencer has served as a key leader in over two dozen financial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, Venture Capital and Private Equity transactions and Initial Public Offerings totaling over US$250 million in sectors as diverse as consumer goods marketing, semiconductor manufacturing and video production services.

Prior to forming Spencer J. Brown & Associates in 2006, Spencer served as chief executive officer of Euro RSCG DRTV, a division of the French marketing consulting conglomerate, Havas. Prior to being named CEO in 1999, Spencer served in the dual role of CFO/COO two years prior. During his tenure, Euro RSCG DRTV raised its annual billings from $14 million to over $400 million thus becoming the largest direct response television advertising agency in the world..

Before joining Euro RSCG, he served in a variety of senior corporate leadership positions in public and private companies including 800.com, Now Software, Sundance Electronics, TriQuint Semiconductor, GigaBit Logic, CR Technology, and Compact Video Systems.

Spencer is a retired Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Iinstitute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Early in his career, he was an Auditor at Peat Marwick Mitchell (KPMG).

He is the former Chairman of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) and a former board member of 800.com, Chemwest Engineering, Tactix and TriQuint Semiconductor. He has also served as a board advisor to Dotster and Tripwire. He received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force in 1973 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from U.C.L.A. in 1976.

He has been a guest speaker at U.C.L.A.'s Graduate School of Management, the University of Portland, the University of Oregon Law School of Entrepreneurship and frequently speaks to groups across the country on issues related to entrepreneurship, management and leadership.

Spencer is currently a member of the Board of Directors and President of the Portland chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, one of the largest and oldest senior executive leadership organizations in the world. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Commerce Bank of Oregon, partially-owned subsidiary of NYSE-Listed Zions Bancorp. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors of Indent Studios, Intelesoft Technologies, Oregon Aesthetic Technologies and Rejuvenation. He is past Chair of OEN and is a frequent speaker at various investor conferences.

Spencer brings a significant amount of experience to projects throughout North America and Europe in the areas of:

Direct Response Television Advertising

Start-up company executive management anfd financial modeling.

Mergers and acquisitions

Venture capital and private equity fundraising.

3Mail Online Privacy Policies for Email Newsletter Databases

The fundamental purpose of an online privacy policy is to let site visitors and, in this case, subscribers (to a periodic newsletter, announcement service, SMS text notification service, etc.) know what kind of data you collect, what you do with that data, and how you safeguard that information. It also details how you choose to share (or not share) that data. You probably already knew most of this, but it helps us to wrap our brains around what we're talking about here. Repetition helps us remember things. Hey, that's how we're wired.

In order to craft a privacy policy, one needs to involve those who handle the technical elements of your data-gathering tools or systems. This might include your IT manager, your marketing staff, Web development staff and, last but not least, your lawyer or general counsel.

3Mail uses CoolerEmail, thuse we subscribe to the tenets embodied in their privacy policy

We also recommend taking a look at law.com's privacy policy as another example (and a slightly different and more thorough approach). You can read their policy here: http://www.law.com/service/privacy_policy.shtml