Hope springs eternal…

Hope springs eternal…

by | Mar 28, 2019 | Free Lunch Blog, Good Work

Isn’t that how it goes at the old ballgame?

For everyone around here, tomorrow, the Milwaukee Brewers will capture most of the media attention with their Home Opener against divisional foe, the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting right-hander Jhoulys Chacin will be squaring off against the Cards righty Miles Mikolas.

I write that as if I know who these guys are. Truth is, I don’t.

Don’t get me wrong, I know baseball and love the game, even played it in college — but I don’t follow it like I used to when I was a card collecting kid. Heck, I didn’t find out about Brewers MVP Christian Yelich until August of last year, when he, and the Brew Crew went on a tear to get into the playoffs.

At today’s game, the Brewers owner, Mark Attanasio, will have his sons sing the national anthem, Bernie Brewer and the Racing Sausages will be there… and all fans who are in attendance will receive a 2019 magnetic schedule. Oh, and guess what, they can interact with the team on social media using #ThisIsMyCrew and #BrewersOpener. That’s 40,000+ fans coming to a game to eat hot dogs, drink beer and buy merchandise… and share their experience with friends in person and on social media.

And then, 40,000 more will do it another 80 times this season.

(Perhaps there’s a reason why Mike Trout just signed a $426,500,000 deal with the Angels.)

So what does all of this have to do with you and your business?

We get so busy in our day-to-day affairs, that business can turn into a real grind. Not only for us as owners, but for our employees and our customers, too. There is no “down-season” and the churn to drive new prospects into customers and customers into brand ambassadors can lose its luster. It’s then that you hit a plateau and your work gets hard… really really fast.

In short, your business begins to burn out.

Have a Home Opener – every year.

New product launches, new websites, and even the next trade show can give us a lift to broadcast a new message and help fire up the team. But did you ever think to actually create a “Home Opener” for your business — to set a real date, each year, to “open up” your business, your products or services, to your adoring fans (and their friends)? This is not to change your brand, but to enhance your brand. Like major league teams, it’s time to show your excitement to your fans that you have new talent to add to the vets in your line-up.

The easiest thought is an actual open house — to call in your best customers (and their friends) to re-new their interest in what you have to offer them. However, it could also simply mean establishing a digital launch of new creative work, new product offerings, introductions of new employees, vendor partners or associations that have improved your business. I guarantee you that you have business assets that have not been exposed to your customer base…

Have new certifications to show off or awards that you’ve collected? Taken pictures of your facility, products or people? Gone through your catalog? You could launch a new social campaign and drive traffic to a new landing page, complete with plenty of freebies — all for the price of admission — an email address. How about a dealer contest of some kind or advancing a new promotion?

Now is the time!

Don’t worry about being perfect. The real trick is you have just given yourself license to “brag” about your business to any and all simply because you created a Home Opener event… but it feels less like bragging and more like letting your team simply take the field. So here’s your chance to dust off your spikes, put a little rosin on the mound and show off your Major League stuff.

Know what? People pay good money to see that.

Catalogs & Sell Sheets

Catalogs & Sell Sheets

by | Oct 28, 2018 | Case Studies, Free Lunch Blog

For good graphic design firms, websites are at the core of everyone’s branding — but not every firm knows how to handle the “old school” marketing work that so many businesses in Southeastern Wisconsin need — namely, catalogs and sell sheets.

Every sales force wants to have a better calling card than just their business card.  Leaving a great sales kit behind (one that doesn’t get tossed into the cylindrical bin) is crucial in turning cold calls into warm leads into active customers.

We know a thing or two about providing the kind of work that not only showcases your brand and your products, but also does so in a way that really “sells”.

Next time you tired materials need an overhaul, look to us at JSH&P to add the spit and polish you’re brand demands.

Making Something Out of Nothing

Making Something Out of Nothing

by | Apr 11, 2018 | Case Studies, Free Lunch Blog

Cedarburg Dawgs

Every agency has it’s stories about pro bono work — some good, some bad.  The key in making it work is to have the right expectations, and managing them for the benefit of your business and that of the recipient of your largesse.  Recently, we’ve become linked with a start-up youth football program for 5th- 8th grade kids called the Dawgs.

Why?

Football has been a passion of my own for most of my life.  My dad is a Wisconsin Hall of Fame football coach, and I played the game well enough to actually sign a pro contract with the Packers, back when dinosaurs ruled the earth. Since that time, I’ve been a volunteer high school coach and instructor to hundreds of kids along the way.  I’ve also been a guest speaker to dozens of programs to assist in garnering a better sports culture to give kids, coaches and parents a better experience.

So when my own home town saw it’s youth football participation drop dramatically, something had to be done.  So a new entity was born to replace the flaws of the old.  Marketing something new can always be done, but if the culture hasn’t changed, you’ve traded one uniform for another, but the problems remain.  This is as true of small business as it is a children’s non-profit sports organization.

So how do you attract 100 kids (and their parents) to participate in a new program when another already exists?

Frankly, a lot of hard work by a few dedicated people who all share in the same philosophy and mission.  Getting on board with a clear message and a fervor to see something good flourish is a powerful motivator.  Coalescing and harnessing that energy is something that becomes larger than yourself and gratifying to experience.  I’m pleased to say that with our involvement with the Cedarburg Dawgs, we went from true zero participants as of January 1st of this year, to over 100 kids in the program in just three months.

How do you make something out of nothing from a marketing stand point?

When there is no track record, no uniforms, no logo, no imagery of any sort to work with, one might think that the game is lost before it’s begun.  Not so, but you better get creative fast… and hone up your Photoshop skills!

The Cedarburg Dawgs is building a strong youth football program built on the mutual trust between parents, kids and the coaches of the organization — where kids can learn to play the game of football in a fun, safe and life-affirming atmosphere.  

Go Big on Old School

Go Big on Old School

by | Jun 21, 2016 | Case Studies, Free Lunch Blog

Globalvia

Billion dollar international businesses are always looking for a great designer in Cedarburg, Wisconsin… aren’t they?

The age of the Internet is truly amazing.

However, for all of it’s marvels, this client from a few years ago was actually the product of “old school” contacts and referrals.   A good friend of mine, Michael Beightol from Coyote Marsh & Associates, contacted me about assisting him with a new opportunity.  Years before, we had done some work together on a European firm who wanted to make a splash in the American market.  Turns out, his brother (in Washington, DC) had connections to a firm with a similar situation.

Wallah!  Madrid meets Wisconsin.

The work we did, from website to marketing kit to trade advertising, still holds up pretty well today. That’s the hallmark of world-class design. It’s also the product of good relationships married to a good client.  Never forget to cultivate your personal relationships to build your business… even from unexpected sources!

Globalvia is a multi-national corporation based in Madrid, Spain that facilitates and builds some of the biggest infrastructure projects around the world, like bridges, tollways and light rail systems.