News room

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED

Hello MarCom Members & Friends,

We’ve launched our new website and it comes with some great new features, including a new and improved member directory! To get started, we're asking for your help. 

Please click on the image above, then enter your email address (the one that this email was sent to) and click "submit" so we can email you a link to change your password. Then, you can login to your account, change your password, and make any other necessary updates to your contact information.

We hope you can take some time to look around the site! We’re excited for it to be up and running and we hope you are too!

Questions? Contact our Communications Chair, Nichole Kerns, at nkerns@allied-security.com or 509-321-8771.

March 2012 Program

RESEARCH, FOCUS GROUPS & TESTING MESSAGES BY JAYRAY COMMUNICATIONS

Click here to RSVP and pay for this meeting by Friday, February 24th.

Join us as experts Shari Campbell and Patrick Moody from JayRay Communications in Tacoma present on Research, Focus Groups & Testing Messages. 

Click here to take a pre-meeting survey from JayRay Communications for, what else, research!

March 2, 2012
7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Herak Club Room at Gonzaga's McCarthey Athletic Center 
801 N. Cincinnati, Spokane, WA 99201

Parking is free for MarCom meetings in the lot south of the Herak room on the Gonzaga campus.

Meeting fee details: The meeting fee, which covers breakfast, is $15 for members at the door, $25 for non-members, $5 for student members and $15 for student non-members. (Only full-time students qualify for reduced rates. School I.D. is checked at the door.)

A Bug's Life with Alyssa

Welcome to our new newsletter and website! The MarCom Board of Directors has been busy this year working with Zipline Interactive for a refreshed website. If you haven’t done so, check it out! Since we’re in “Spark Awards mode,” below is my explanation of the new site, “Spark entry style.”

Introduction:

Five years since the MarCom rebranding, the Board of Directors decided it was the time to refresh the website and incorporate a look and feel that best represents the group today. Complete with fresh colors, modern typefaces and functionality that rivals the Starship Enterprise, Zipline Interactive has created a site that shows off Spokane’s most active and involved marketing and communications organization. The amazing energy of this group now shows through on these webpages and, hopefully, will help initiate more dialogue among membership.

Goals requested of Zipline:

• Redesign the site with bold colors and modern typefaces – we are definitely not a “beige” group nor should we be represented as such.
• Make better use of our photos from monthly meetings, workshops, Spark Awards and other events throughout the year.
• Create a space for membership to post PSAs and list their events in our calendar.
• Build event pages with social media plug-ins, so visitors can share our event information with Facebook friends, Twitter followers, Google+ circles and LinkedIn groups. Additionally, allow membership to post social media accounts on their profiles, thus increasing interaction between members.
• Retain the most popular pieces of our existing site, such as the Job Board and newsletters.

Use of resources:

• Zipline Interactive – The bestest interactive company ever! They have gone above and beyond what we had hoped for this website. We couldn’t promise them a pile of money, in fact our budget was very “shoestring,” but we could offer trades for Zipline to be more involved with MarCom and become better acquainted with our membership…along with shameless plugs about their awesomeness – did I mention they’re the bestest?
• A large library of MarCom event photos, many of which were generously donated by former board member, Dean Davis, that are now used more effectively on the site to represent our membership.
• A volunteer Board of Directors, putting in many more hours than what is expected of this working board.
• And, last but not least, the MarCom membership who were polled last year as to their ideas and needs for a refreshed MarCom website.

Execution:

• A fresh new design: In addition to the MarCom brand colors of orange and grey, Zipline selected a blue to compliment and add more zest to the site. A sans-serif typeface is used, bringing together the overall look of a clean, easily navigated site.
• A rotation of homepage images and event boxes, which utilizes our vast photo library.
• A newsroom for MarCom announcements and newsletters, along with new functionality – a place to post member PSAs.
• An events calendar created not only for MarCom events, but also for member posted events; visitors are able to share all of these events via social media plug-ins.
• The most important information to members and visitors easily found on the homepage: Membership, programming, newsletter signup, jobs and internships.

Results:

You tell us! We hope you enjoy the new MarCom site, and I’m sure most of you know from experience what it is like to take on such a project. It is possible a few ‘bugs’ will need to be worked out, and we welcome your feedback. 

Alyssa Ando
MarCom President

Favorites this month:
Blogs:
“Create Business Interest by Using Pinterest” Nectar Tasting Room & Wine Blog
“The Power of Slow Thinking” Brass Tack Thinking 
“Mobile Email Recipients Not Saving Messages to Read Later on Desktop: Surveys” Chief Marketer
Tweet: @jamiemorgancda: Blending and not being different from your competition, but having lower prices is not a marketing strategy anymore. Why are you better?
Quote: “What is a weekend?” Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey

THE ELITE. THE TOP 1%. THE BEST OF THE BEST.

No they’re not Top Gun pilots—they’re MarCom interns!

This year’s intern applicants are looking to be the best and brightest yet, and you can apply to host one this summer! The internship can start as early as May and lasts until Fall of 2012, giving your organization a summer with one of the sharpest, most enthusiastic marketing or communications students in the area, along with recognition at the 2012 Spark Awards. Interns receive a stipend from MarCom, no charge to you.

You still have plenty of time to apply before the March 8, 2012 application deadline, but the earlier you can submit your application the better!

Click here to download the host application form. Email Internship Chair Tyler Tullis at tylert@desautelhege.com for details. 

Save the Date for the 17th Annual Spark Awards!

Thanks to everyone for joining us at the Drop-Off Party to submit your Spark Award Entries. With the hard part behind you, it’s time to plan for the party! 

Join us April 24th at 5 p.m. at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox and celebrate your achievements from the past year. Dana Haynes, of Visit Spokane, is this year's Master of Ceremony.

RSVP here to reserve your spot for this event. Can’t wait to see you there!

Support our Local Students, Sponsor the Spark Awards

The generosity of our Spark Award Sponsors help fund our Internship Program. Help provide three local students the chance to stay here in Spokane and receive a very valuable internship opportunity in marketing and communications by helping sponsor the 2011 Spark Awards.

There are a variety of sponsorship levels available. Get your organization recognized among the best and brightest at the 2011 Spark Awards. Contact Fundraising Chair, Crystal Schaeffer at crystal.schaeffer@cancer.org  or 509-242-8291 to learn more.

Expert's Edge: Guest Commentary

Image is Everything: Taking Photos for Marketing

John Carter
Associate Director, Communications
Saint George’s School

I’m not a professional photographer, although I’ve been blessed to watch some of the best in Spokane working their magic. What I’ve learned from them, and from shooting plenty of my own images, might be helpful for marketing professionals who need to take photos for their own marketing and communication projects.

First, before you grab that camera, ask yourself a couple of questions: 

“Why do I need to take this photo?” 
Maybe a stock image, an illustration or just text would meet this project’s needs.

“How will this photo be used?” 
If you might print it, take high resolution images; if it’s only going to appear online, you can take low resolution shots.

“What is the message?” 
You’re more likely to get a useful image if you know what impression or emotion the photo needs to convey.

“Who is the audience?” 
Viewers are more engaged by images of people like themselves or of people they care about such as children.

Once you know what kind of pictures you need and why, here are some tips for capturing those images:

1. Look for appealing people and opportunities, such as friends who will pose for you or people wearing costumes or face paint. 
2. Have fun with lighting, such as angled sunlight, especially in the early morning or evening.
3. Convey a message with the setting you choose and the ages, ethnicity or gender of your subjects.
4. Compose your shot by focusing on the most interesting activity and try to document it like a journalist.
5. When shooting action, such as sporting events, move around to find the best angles and lighting.
6. For architectural photos, find a new angle for that familiar view, such as shooting above eye level.
7. For repetitive events, whether runners crossing a finish line or rafters going over rapids, keep repeating the shot until you get it just right.
8. Identifiable activities, such as hammering nails at a Habitat House project, can place a person in a context and highlight your organization’s values.

Of course a column about photography is naked without some images to illustrate it. So check out a PDF-format Slide Show from the MarCom “Cocktails & Conversations” on January 18, 2012 to see examples of the images described above and how they were used in real-life marketing efforts. Plus it includes a dozen random images that offer examples of the challenges and joys of photography – from capturing drama on stage and using natural light to showing emotion, focusing on key details and looking for beauty. Enjoy!

March Sponsor: Zipline Interactive

Zipline Interactive is a Spokane-based web design and development company that specializes in creating user-friendly, and informative websites. Zipline Interactive offers a full range of digital marketing services including: web design, mobile web design, mobile app development, search engine optimization, online marketing, e-commerce, email marketing, and much more.  Zipline's clients include a range of regional and national customers operating in both the business to business and business to consumer arenas.

Changing Attitudes

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. - Maya Angelou