Creative Agency Secrets

Thanks to the eagle eyed Mark McGuinness , I've been invited to chair a panel for Sport England and Channel 4 at their "All Together Now - sports, community and the web" event on 1 May.

Now this really gets me excited.  Many of you know that I write a rowing blog , I still compete and am involved on the committee of a big rowing race.  This is a perfect place for my passion and my business work in social media, digital and business development to intersect.

Here's what the event is about. 

Over the course of the past three years the emergence of blogging, social networking services and platforms which showcase and share user generated content have transformed the possibilities of how we connect, converse and collaborate with one another.
’In the 20th Century, we were defined by what we owned, in the 21st Century we will be defined by what we share and give away’ Charles Leadbeater, author of "We Think"

The potential for organisations and brands to harness these technologies and tools to engage with users, customers and their communities in radically new ways is becoming clear.

How can all those organisations working to promote active participation in sports and the brands that wish to sponsor their activates and campaigns work together to make the most of the unrivalled viral power and network effects of the web in the run up to 2012?

All Together Now will bring together leading social media developers and thinkers, sports governing bodies, communities’ sports organisations and some of our leading brands into a unique event to explore these opportunities.
 

Now, can you guys put your thinking caps on and tell me what questions you think I should be asking the panel members?

Here are some of my ideas….. 

What would be a 'perfect' social media outcome for London 2012?

How would you ideally like to engage online with the folk who run your sport?

Where do you go to talk about your sporting interests?  (online and offline).

[declaration: this is a client - and they have a great product that many of you may find useful for biz dev on your own potential clients].

We are running a seminar to show how to use customer data in order to stop 'campaigns' and start long-running 'conversations'. 
This drives improved ROI for brands (retention, lower costs, higher response rates – makes you look good for your clients).
And for agencies, can be a new income stream (selling data services, analysis, results-based fees).  Three UK agencies already work with us – with some success – and we can give references.
 
The event is in London, UK on Tuesday 29 April.  It is free to attend.
The Secrets of Closed Loop Marketing Event Details and registration page

Last time I checked there were 4 places remaining.

And, if you happen to mention my name when you register, I'll get loads of kudos!

thanks 

Have just updated the earlier databases work to include some which came out of the comments (thanks Tomas and Chris).

Here is new summary document. Databases summary April 08

I was invited by the lovely folk at Designer Breakfasts to do a workshop on how to do business development for your agency or for yourself.

The group was fantastic and worked really hard on the problems and tools I set them tow ork on.  Here are the photos.

The handout is here. Designer Breakfasts handout

It is for both brand managers and Marketing Agencies to show how to use customer data in order to stop 'campaigns' and start long-running 'conversations'.  

This drives improved ROI for brands (retention, lower costs, higher response rates).And for agencies, can be a new income stream (selling data services, analysis, results-based fees).

Event is in London, UK on Tuesday 29 April. The Secrets of Closed Loop Marketing Event Details:  

It is free to attend.

The product is called Data Centre. It is a desktop application for the marketing department / marketing agency.  It uses data feeds from multiple sources (sales, prospects, e-commerce etc) drawn overnight. 

It is innovative in that it enables:

• Single Customer View
• Customer Data Profiles
• Highly targeted marketing campaigns in a closed loop environment

The major smart thing about it  is that your data CAN be siloed, CAN be in multiple formats and places and Data Centre CAN STILL be used.

Data Centre allows you to

• run multi-channel campaigns
• by-pass the IT department….(!)
• closed-loop tracking and analysis for SMS, email & telesales
• web and email marketing integration

Can you blog / circulate it?  Anyone who wants copies of the case studies (Kettle Crisps, Hoverspeed) write a comment and I’ll send them over on email.

Afterthought… if you have a client who you want to challenge and educate about integrated campaigns, bring them along! 

I have been invited by Designer Breakfasts to lead a "brunch workshop" on 17th April

They are running a series of events to help design businesses improve their skills in getting new clients.

the first event was Sir George Cox talking about the future for design businesses; then Frances Hinton on  how to ask the right questions of potential clients.

I will be moving towards practical strategies for finding and winning new customers and clients. As the blurb says…

 This month’s event takes that approach to a practical level – developing a new business methodology that will make winning SME clients part of everyday studio life for you and your team.
Creative business development expert, Rebecca Caroe will get you thinking analytically about yourself, the type of clients you work well with and how to differentiate your business in a crowded market.
You’ll design your ideal customer profile, learn how to create and convert new opportunities using deep listening techniques and ‘golden questions’ and get insights on:

• Auditing your new business strategy
• Developing disciplined steps to make new business work for you
• Preparing a marketing plan
• Committing to forward actions that involve your whole team
• Asking meaningful post pitch analysis questions

Book by email events@designerbreakfasts.net

Cost £95 including VAT.