Sharyn

We’re happy to announce the completion of a 6 month project with Cyberguys, a local technology company providing computer solutions, service and sales.  This was a collaborative effort between 3 groups within DECO – the Center for GIS, the Integrated Marketing Team, and Regional Economic Studies Institute.

The first phase of the project focused on developing a strategy to help Cyberguys expand their reach. To accomplish this, we analyzed who their local competition is, what their services include, and how those businesses pricing structures aligned with Cyberguys. Cyberguys provided us with a comprehensive customer list that we were able to display on a map, allowing us to visualize where the customers live in relation to the retail store. In turn, this allowed them to see exactly where their customers are located – right around the corner or on the other side of town. We also recommended new customer bases to target as well as package pricing that would be attractive to those audience groups. The strategy also included suggested specific media outlets and provided a social strategy that will provide the guidance they need to launch their social platform.

The second phase of the project took our focus onto more tangible items which included messaging, print collateral and a new website. For the messaging, we kept it straight forward so that potential customers would know exactly what the Cyberguys do. We landed on

Cyberguys. Expert Computer Solutions Service and Sales. Priced Right and Hassle Free.

This messaging was integrated with selected imagery on various mediums (print and web) to create consistency in the visual branding. These visuals complimented Cyberguys’ established logo. For the print collateral, we designed two pieces – a direct mail postcard that can be easily updated for specific audiences and a 2 sided flyer that can be printed on demand for the store or business development meetings. We also developed all the copy. To meet Cyberguys’ needs, all of the collateral was designed using Microsoft Publisher allowing Cyberguys to easily maintain their print collateral moving forward. Finally, we developed a website for Cyberguys. We made recommendations on the site’s architecture and reworked copy for the site to work in this new organization. We provided a photo shoot at their store and voila! Their site was ready to be launched. The great thing about their site is that it was created using WordPress and is hosted in their own hosting environment so they were able to integrate some plug-ins and modify the design allowing them to have complete control of their site.

Sharyn

This important question comes up all the time, but usually it’s an afterthought when you are designing a print piece, creating a new web page, developing a mobile friendly website or even writing a blog post. It’s important to recognize how asking questions about your audience, will impact the final marketing piece you are developing.

Next time you sit down and start to develop a marketing piece start with these questions…

• Who are your audience groups? Are there primary audience groups and secondary audience groups? What priority level are you assigning to these audience groups?
• What do you know about each of your audience groups? Do you understand their demographics, interest in your topic, and level of knowledge of the topic?
• If this regards a website, are they casual, repeat, or potential new visitors?

Image credit: jscreationzs

Once you answer these questions it will help to dictate:

• The voice of the marketing piece – how friendly or formal your tone is
• The type of language used – technical terms or everyday language
• The format of the delivery – letter, brochure, email, phone call

This will get you started, but if you need help through this process, the Integrated Marketing Team is here to help. Our team can help you determine the right voice for your marketing campaign, create marketing pieces to create consistency in your campaign and develop a plan to see your campaign through. Let us know how we can help you meet your goals!

Sharyn

Months of brainstorming and planning went into this year’s DECO holiday card and I can truly say that is the best video card we have created to date. You may recall the New Year’s resolution card, or even our attempt to re-create the 12 days of Christmas. And then there is this year’s card. Imagine speed decorating while competing to be named the best decorated unit.

Check out our holiday card which show’s all the amazing decorations and teamwork of the DECO staff!

Now that you’ve seen the video, you may be wondering… who won our contest? While most participated, some really excelled.

• Honorable mentions. The Center for Professional Studies (CPS), TowsonGlobal, and the Vice President’s office. These units all tried their very best to pull together various holiday themes in their office spaces. CPS included decorations from all of the staff’s cultural backgrounds, TowsonGlobal’s tasteful blue and green Christmas tree was gorgeous, and the Vice President’s office transformed a palm tree into a Christmas tree and surrounded it with Towson paraphernalia.
• A tie for second. The Center for Applied IT (CAIT), lead by Dawn Bott, and the Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI), lead by Raquel Frye, had such great concepts the judges couldn’t distinguish between second and third place so it was ruled a tie! These groups really coordinated their themes. CAIT’s winter wonderland and RESI’s snowy village were well thought out and could not be pulled off without the team’s full efforts.
• And the winners! But, in the end, it was hard to compete with two dedicated decorators from the Administration and Finance team, Anna Orfanidis and Lusine Baghdasarian. Their decorations could rival 34^th Street in Hampden!

Sharyn

That’s right…we’re doing all of the above and then some! Over the past 2 years, our online brand has expanded, and just so you know, we’re not just blogging. You can find various DECO research and outreach centers promoting their brand through various social outlets. Go ahead, take a look and like or follow us!

Economic and Community Outreach

• Blog
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Slideshare

Center for Applied IT

• Facebook

Center for GIS (CGIS)

• Facebook

Center for Professional Studies

• Facebook

Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI)

• Facebook
• Twitter

TowsonGlobal

• Facebook
• Twitter

TU in the Community

• Facebook
• Twitter

Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU)

• Twitter

Sharyn

At our recent monthly blogger user group meeting, Dawn Bott reminded us that our second anniversary of blogging was approaching. Instead of celebrating with a huge campaign for the “Blogger of the Year” like we did last year, we are celebrating with a reflective post.

About two and a half years ago, the DECO blog’s concept was just a glimmer in Bobbie Laur and my eyes. And now, we have:

• Over 36,000 views
• 254 posts since our launch (September 1, 2009)
• And a consistent group of more than 10 bloggers

While our blog topics vary greatly, we took a look at what posts have been most popular. Here are some of the most popular posts on the blog since our start in 2009.

• The Great Debate: IT Degree vs. IT Certification vs. Industry Experience
• Can the iPad replace my laptop?
• Lessons Learned: Creating a KML-Enabled ArcGIS Server Map Service
• CGIS launches an exciting new way to view shallow water habitat data
• Economic Stimulus + Towson University
• Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Approved Training
• PureBang Games and My Hopeful Journey Announced as the Winners of TowsonGlobal’s Business Plan Competition
• Orioles Opening Day: What’s the Economic Impact of Baseball in Baltimore?

So, you’re probably wondering… what do we have planned for our third year? The most exciting part of year three is the addition of several new bloggers.

• Tim Brooks will take a look at cutting edge technology that everyone is curious about.
• Kelsey Beckett will be blogging away about community engagement activity that is happening at Towson University.
• Ashley Buzzeo will focus on how the use of GIS is impacting how the state of Maryland does business.
• And Jenn Lake will provide an interesting perspective on everything marketing.

Here’s to year two. Happy blogging!

Sharyn

Did you know that Towson University works with government agencies and businesses from across Maryland to implement a variety of features on their web sites and recommend marketing initiatives to support their goals? These services include advanced application development, e-commerce integration, email marketing service implementation, search engine marketing analysis, geographic information systems (GIS) application development, and database development. We also work with clients to improve the look and feel of web sites as well as the user experience issues that can challenge web visitors. We even assist organizations as they learn more about the use of social media on how it can integrate with their web strategy.

The Division of Economic and Community Outreach has over 100 professional employees who can provide guidance on design, programming, writing and marketing who are poised to enhance your web site so that your employees can focus mission critical programs.

If you would like to learn more about the web services mentioned here, check out our web page dedicated to providing additional information and a quick and easy way to contact us about your organizations needs.

Sharyn

So in case you didn’t get the memo, DECO is now in the Integrated Marketing game. Small businesses and government entities can work with us build their brand through web site development, print marketing, and social media. As the Integrated Marketing Team (Bobbie Laur, Nicole Schiraldi and I) started to think through these services, our main goals were:

• to provide competitive pricing for services
• and to provide management tools for the customer’s websites and social media strategies to provide clients with confidence when the project is complete.

We knew a content management system (CMS) was a must for web site maintenance, and we have grown to love using WordPress.com to power our blog. Naturally, it made sense to provide the same advice and direction to our clients who didn’t want the hassle of dealing with uploading files, but also wanted a simple to use CMS that allows for easy editing access to the pages of their web site.

Here are the top five reasons I’d recommend a client use WordPress.com as their web site’s platform:

1. Hosting is free! That’s right, I said FREE!
2. Easy to use CMS. Really, if you can use MS Word, you can use this.
3. Analytics galore! Imagine being able to see your site traffic on a given day, most popular pages, and keywords that bring web searchers to your site. Their analytics can do all that and more!
4. Interactive tools – no problem!  Image tools and professional looking forms and polls just to name a few.
5. Extensive support. There are an enormous number of help documents and a user community of people just like you who are looking for help and are willing to provide guidance.

The IMT was lucky enough to work with the Edenwald Residents’ Association (ERA) in early 2011. A few of their active residents identified a need for a web site that the Edenwald Residents could turn to for immediate information such as events, meetings, contact information and forms. The number one request from ERA was that they’d be able to maintain the site on their own after we finished the creation.  I spoke with Ted Carski, Vice President of The Edenwald Residents’ Association, the other day and he said that “The Edenwald Residents’ Association experience with WordPress.com has far exceeded our expectations. Our team of nine seniors, guided by the Integrated Marketing Team of Towson University and the WordPress Training Manual, brought the project in on schedule and under budget. We will continue to add information that we believe will be of value to our residents.” You can visit their site to learn more about their thriving community and see the final product.

If you’re looking for a web site solution, and don’t know where to start, let us know and we’d be happy to meet with you to discuss options that fit your expectations and budget.

Sharyn

Michael Bentivegna is a busy guy. As the Associate Director of IT Services for the Center for GIS he focuses his time on management, business development, and technology research. It boils down to him being our go to idea guy! Michael is a fun person to talk to and he always has a story to share about something from his life experiences. This interview will provide you with more insight into what makes him tick and what trends are on the upswing in GIS.

Sharyn

When the opportunity to design a logo presents itself, I have two reactions.

Great, this will be fun! Then, oh my, it’s so permanent!

I assume it’s sort of like naming a child. Once it’s out there, it’s a company’s image, their brand, and how every potential customer will identify their company. EEEK! So fellow designers, don’t worry, take a step back and think through these things before you begin.

1. Talk to the client. Ask them about what they are hoping their logo to embody. Is it text based, will it be a symbol, or a combination of both? What colors should be included? Are there any other restrictions or previous use of branding you should take into consideration?

2. Go back to your desk and do some research. Consider various fonts, colors, illustrations and imagery that will enhance the logo. Even look for logos that were successful. What has made them stand the test of time? Consider those elements in your design.

3. Start sketching. Remember to keep your concepts simple so the design is lasting. It’s important for the logo to be recognizable too. The more complex, the more difficult that will be in the long run. Think about this: Paul Rand designed the IBM, ABC, and UPS logos in the 1950s and 1960s and they’re all still being used today! If that doesn’t state the case, I don’t know what will!

4. Take a break. Then revise. It’s important to step away from your work. It’s difficult to identify design issues if you’re constantly looking at the logo.

5. Present your ideas! It’s your moment in the spotlight. Remind the client about the inspiration for the logo that you gathered during your research process and how those things tie in with the original information they shared with you. Be open to constructive criticism as you are discussing the logo since the client will probably have some suggestions and modifications that they’d like you to make.

6. Nothing has to be set in stone. Think about Starbucks. Over the past 40 years, they have continued to use the basic elements of their original logo, but recently Starbucks refined the logo to only include the siren. Their branding over time has allowed them to take their logo from a combination of symbol and descriptive text to just a symbol proving that brand recognition can conquer all.

Go with confidence and design logos. You’ve probably heard of the KISS principle. This is a perfect opportunity to keep it simple!

Sharyn

I heard about a series taking place on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly last week where Regis was learning how to “tweet” in 15 minutes a day. Then, on Sunday morning I was catching up on some DVR’d television shows, and while watching Grey’s Anatomy I picked up on the storyline that Chief Webber was upset with Bailey because she was “tweetering” during surgery. Both Regis and the Chief ended up seeing the benefits of Twitter for their business by the end of the storyline.

Similar circumstances and fears that Regis and Chief Webber faced seem to affect employers in the real business world. They are usually intimidated, don’t understand Twitter, or think that all this social media stuff is just for college aged students, but with a little research and guidance they begin to see how Twitter can add to the marketing plan for their business.

I talked about this with my colleague, Bobbie Laur, who is a project manager with the Integrated Marketing Team and also dabbles in teaching the ins and outs of social media. She has a few tips for the small business owner who is entering the twitter world:

1. Know your audience—using a twitter search app you can easily identify and begin following the influencers in your region and industry.
2. Perfect your profile—Having an articulate and intriguing profile will be the key to attracting followers.
3. Manage your tweets—Twitter can be overwhelming, especially initially, so use a management tool like tweetdeck or hootsuite to assist in scheduling and managing your tweets.

Twitter is just one of many applications available to businesses today to assist with increasing brand recognition, building customer relationships, and increasing sales.  IMT helps clients evaluate their social media marketing efforts and consider which social media tools will benefit them the most.

To find out more about social media strategy development, visit the Integrated Marketing Team’s website.