Inner Circle Media

In the past 2 months, Inner Circle Media was honored with a Silver Addy Award and recognized by Corp! Magazine in their “Best of Michigan Business” competition (in the Marketing & PR Company category). Gosh, we sure are thankful when people like our work enough to give us awards!

First, let’s talk about the Addy… (By the way, that’s a photo of Carrie at the event)

Each year the American Advertising Federation receives 60,000 entries for its Addy Awards Competition. The Ann Arbor Ad Club calls for entries from local creative firms and determines winners who will compete on the regional and national level. We entered the web site we developed for Soul Tracks in the category of “Interactive Media: Web Site, Consumer HTML.” Soul Tracks is the premier online destination for soul music enthusiasts. Interestingly, Soul Tracks was started by Chris Rizik, co-founder and Board member of Ardesta, who’s passion for soul music is contagious. Boasting over a million hits a year, Soul Tracks is a vibrant web community with many contributors.

When designing SoulTracks.com, we focused on both aesthetics and flexibility. As all you web developers know, there’s always a worry that when the client takes over the upkeep of a website, the aesthetics of the user interface will quickly slide downhill. With SoulTracks.com we knew we had to build a pretty website that would stay pretty even when new content (photos, ads, videos, news, etc.) was added daily. Inner Circle built the new site on the Drupal content management framework which allows contributors to continuously add new information – like free mp3 downloads, new artist photos, bios, album updates, critical reviews, and soul music news. Drupal also allows Soul Tracks staff to manage an increasing number of advertisers.

Keeping all this in mind, we entered SoulTracks.com in the Addy competition because the site is a great example of an well-designed, technically astute website that lets our client easily manage a booming online community. We thought it deserved recognition as an example of a truly INTERACTIVE website where the content is always changing. We were right – our entry was awarded a Silver Addy and we were invited to attend the Addy Award Gala, which took place at the beautiful Rackham building on the University of Michigan campus, just a short walk from ICM’s office.

Carrie and I attended the gala, and gained keen insight into what else is going on design-wise in Ann Arbor. We learned some important things at the gala:

• Ann Arbor has some major design talent. We were super impressed with the work displayed in the Addy gallery: standouts (our favorites) include Heidi Woodward Sheffield’s work for the Ann Arbor Book Festival; Scott Pryor of Pryor Design’s sales promotion for ele Cake Co.; and Perich Advertising + Design’s entire advertising campaign for the Detroit Institute of Arts.
• The Addy Awards are based on design, not function, and this is especially true in the web site categories. Winning (Addy-worthy) entries included beautiful, expansive photography and simple, clean home page designs. Addys don’t give extra credit for functionality or recognize the power of an online community. We’re not saying that this is the Addy’s role: we could enter our sites for other awards that look more at the technical side, but it was an important lesson for us.
• They ran out of dessert. Carrie and I were devastated to find that very early in the evening, the dessert table was empty and never refreshed again. Katherine’s Catering provided the food, which was delicious, and the wine and beer selection, as well as the jazz trio, were a great enhancement to the festivities, but no chocolate for us was sad indeed.
• The price tag was a bit steep: $50 for Ad Club members (or $60 for nonmembers). The event was a great opportunity to meet other creative types in the Ann Arbor community, but I wonder if attendance would be boosted if the entrance fee was lower.

Now let’s talk about Corp! Magazine’s “Best of Michigan Business” Award…

Corp! magazine asked 1000 readers which companies they considered the “best” in Michigan. Those kind readers chose Inner Circle Media as one of the “best” in the “Marketing & PR” category. It was not clear to us how they categorized winning companies, as our firm could have fit in the “Technology Firms” or “Small Business” categories too. Winners were featured in the January/February 2008 edition of Corp! magazine and at a breakfast event in Troy, MI last week. Several other Ann Arbor companies made the list including:

• Accent Reduction Institute (Small Business $1-10 Million- also an ICM client)
• Busch’s (Grocers)
• University of Michigan Health System (Health Care Provider)
• Uproar Communications (Marketing & PR)
• Milliken Realty Company (Real Estate-Commercial/Industrial)
• Gandy Dancer (Restaurants)
• Running Fit (Retailers)
• Menlo Innovations (Small Business)
• Ardesta (Technology Firms)
• Fry, Inc. (Technology Firms)

Congrats to all the companies who made the “Best of Michigan Business” list. We should all be proud of our combined accomplishments and our efforts to build and grow great companies in the Great Lakes State.

Inner Circle Media has been lauded as a commuter-friendly business by the getDowntown program, which is committed to promoting alternative transportation options. Click here to read more about our sweet award.

There are so many people we’d like to thank: our parents, who taught us how to walk, ride the bus, and drive; our family members for supporting our carpooling efforts. Oh wait, there’s the music telling us to wrap it up…

In this election year, the candidates are harping on some major issues, including global warming and the environment. As a resident of Ann Arbor, I see and hear all about “green” efforts in construction and read about the values of buying local, organic food. As just one person out of 6 billion, how can I make a difference? Yes, I recycle as much as possible, use reusable bags to tote my lunch back and forth to the office, and try to carpool or walk as much as possible, but how can I make a bigger impact?

Then I took a better look at our office practices, and realized that as a company, we employ easy, everyday solutions to help reduce, reuse and recycle. We’re always on the lookout to improve our processes and decrease our consumption.

Here’s just a few ways our small office has gone green:

1. We installed a Culligan Reverse Osmosis filter in our sink. Instead of offering clients water bottles, we offer them crisp, clean-tasting water in a reusable cup or mug.

2. We use General Organic Services to clean our office; they use non-toxic products, HEPA filtered vacuums, reusable microfiber cloths, and more to clean offices and homes, and their service and value are excellent.

3. We love alternative transportation! Between the six team members, we carpool, ride the bus, walk or bike to work. No one comes in a car solo downtown, and we logged tons of miles in the Commuter Challenge for the getDowntown program. When we go to meetings, we either walk or share a ride, and we always walk to lunch–we are lucky to have so many great restaurants (like Jerusalem Garden, Seva, Sabor Latino, No Thai!, Cafe Habana, Arbor Brewing Company, Kosmo’s) and coffee shops (Espresso Royale, Primo) near our office. We also walk to the Farmer’s Market in Kerrytown to buy locally-grown produce and frequent Michigan farmers’ goods at places like Arbor Farms and Fresh Seasons Market.

4. We always print double-sided when a physical copy is needed, we have a water saving toilet, we turn off our lights when the sun shines in our front windows, and we all use reusable coffee mugs for our caffeine fixes.

Take a look at the methods your office uses, and I’m sure you will find simple, small ways to save energy, water and fuel. If your office does something cool, let me know!

Good things come to those who talk. ICM was founded by two women who have grown our business by talking to EVERYONE. As Carrie mentioned in a previous post, we truly believe in good business karma, and often our business benefits from networking and collaborating. Women are notoriously good at talking, so when Marisa Smith’s company The Whole Brain Group was looking to move out of her home office and into downtown Ann Arbor in 2006, Carrie suggested she come check out our new space, as we had an area that was ready to be developed. Within a week, Marisa took the leap and started working on a plan to move into the new space. A year later, Whole Brain has grown from 3 to 6 employees.

Besides the shared space, Whole Brain and ICM have collaborated on a variety of business issues: we share the same fantastic bookkeeper and we developed a website for their product AccrediStation. Both of our companies develop web-based applications and sell web-based products. Both of our companies work with universities, we share a great telephone system company, and we have swapped IKEA ideas for our office equipment and furniture. Our lawyer gave us a good explanation of how to protect our reusable work product, (i.e., code we developed that we want to use across multiple projects), so we shared the ideas with Marisa so she could intelligently talk to her lawyer about it.

Marisa even loaned me maternity clothes when I was pregnant with my son–now that is true collaboration!

Carrie Hensel, one of ICM’s fearless leaders, was recently profiled on the Michigan Innovators blog, discussing ICM’s future expansion goals and content management system. Carrie is one of many leaders discussing their business and their role in the evolving Michigan economy.

Bud Gibson, one of the founders of the blog and a teacher at the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University, has been busily adding profiles of Michigan entrepreneurs and business folks to a “highly visible repository of stories that showcase the modern, innovative spirit lurking in the Michigan economy.”

Yes, you’ve heard the hype about blogs, but does your business really NEED one? This blog explains why blogs are important and how they might bring big benefits to your company or nonprofit.

But first, some background… This was an interesting assignment for me because while I’ve worked for technology companies for over 10 years, I’m not too familiar with blogs. I know about software development, the Web, technical writing, project management, nerdy workplace tech speak like “WYSIWYG” and “project scope creep.” I’ve tried to keep up with my 16 year old by using DVR and my Razor phone. I know about MP3, Bluetooth, and making sure I don’t become a CrackBerry addict or get phished! But I’m worried that perhaps I’ve ignored the hype about blogs. Blogs have been around awhile— but aren’t they for Generation Y and Z people who worship MySpace and have more time than sense to write about what Brangelina is up to and the latest Harry Potter spoilers? I needed to figure out what the big deal was. What I found was more compelling than the thought of purchasing a new Iphone.

Communicating Via Blogs Means Business…

Simply put, blogs can be:

1. An effective way to communicate with your potential and current customers: A blog is an informal, easily-maintained method for you to talk with your customers. In your blog posts, you can address your customers’ pressing needs, desires, questions, or concerns in a relaxed way. You can also casually talk about how your offerings might solve their problems, and you can position yourself as a trusted resource regarding trends in your industry.
2. An informal method to communicate with your employees: A blog lets your employees share and contribute information in one, common, easily updateable, quickly correctable, web-based location. A blog might replace your staff newsletter. A blog might also help you communicate standard company practices or allow your employees to share their expertise. (I studied ICM’s previous blog posts to get clued in on how to write this!) A blog is also a good way for potential employees to get to know your company’s “personality” and determine if they might want to work on your team.
3. A great way to attract search engine attention and site traffic: Your blog posts and any user-submitted comments are sure to contain a plethora of keywords and phrases that will help you achieve better ranking in the search engines. For example, we wrote some blog posts that contained the phrase “revamp your website.” This is an informal way to describe one of the services we provide to clients, and we don’t use this phrase on our company website; however, when we used the phrase in our blog, we found that it was a popular search term, and when people searched for ways to revamp their websites in Google, they found our blog.
4. An intrinsic tool for linking campaigns: Incoming and outgoing links contribute to your rank in the search engines. In your blog, you should include links to your own website. It’s also important to use reciprocal links to the websites and blogs of your business allies, collaborators, and partners. You should link to any media sites (newspapers, TV shows, portals, etc.) that mention you or your company. By the way, our client, The Accent Reduction Institute (www.lessaccent.com), was recently featured on the NBC Nightly News
5. A way to stay ahead of the competition: Check your competitor’s websites and blogs to see what important topics they’re discussing. You may learn from their latest trials and tribulations. You’ll also determine how to write blog posts that differentiate your company from other companies like yours. For example, while there are many web companies in Ann Arbor, we’ve utilized our blog to set ourselves apart – as a fun, creative woman-owned IT company; as a group of experts who want to share our knowledge so businesses and organizations of any size can benefit; and as a company that LISTENS to our clients’ needs and creates websites that meet those needs in the most appropriate, innovative, and cost-effective ways.

Now you have a little taste of what it’s all about—start empowering your company to communicate in the Blogosphere!

Sometimes I happen upon a blog posting or article online that is so well-written or informative, I read the entire thing (and that is saying a lot considering how much competes for my attention on a given day.) If you are a blogger, or regularly read blogs and wonder what really are the parameters of legality in deep linking, use of images and thumbnails, and stolen content, read this article from Directory Aviva.

We consult with clients on best practices and tips for writing in a blog, and this entry does a great job of framing the whole subject into what is legal, how to avoid problems, and best practices. And isn’t it slightly ironic that I am linking to a blog entry all about legality of linking? Or perhaps I am just a geek that I find that amusing…

In this Google-centric world, people are obsessed with their ranking, their traffic, or, at a more basic level, just want more site visitors. We advise people to watch their site stats monthly, even weekly, to tie into their marketing campaigns, press releases, etc., but for some clients, that’s too time consuming or confusing. (Current clients: want to learn more about your stats? Email me!)

There are several techniques you can employ at no or low cost to get more people to come to your site:

>Write a blog. A blog, you say? Like this very one I am reading, you ask? Why yes, find a topic you are passionate about, or that your company specializes in, a service that you can provide for clients and customers, and write about it. To read some basics on blogging, read Alaine’s entry from Feb. 13. Write about how national news ties into something your company is doing. Write about your favorite services locally. Brag about your kids, business awards, or post photos of your cute dog. Get some fresh content up there so returning customers, or potential clients, see who you are, what you do, and how you do it better. Wouldn’t you rather work with a company with some personality and expertise than a faceless generic company?

>Optimize your site. That’s just a fancy way of saying, make sure your keywords, metatags and site are set up to make the most of those creepy crawly web spiders that the search engines biggies use. Do you know the keywords that people would use to search for you? Do you have compelling title tags on each of your pages? We can help make sense of the SEO gobbleygook, just ask!

>Send out an email newsletter/update to current and prospective clients.
Many local companies and organizations do this very well. Menlo, the Ann Arbor Area Chamber, and Brogan Partners are just a few of the many I receive, and I am almost always clicking on a tidbit or story to read more, which leads me right to the business’ or organizations’ website. Give readers an incentive to read more, register for an event, purchase something, or just contact you with simple links and lots of entry spots in the enewsletter.

>Never leave your office without business cards. Maybe I’m just nosy, but every new business card I acquire, through a networking event at the IT Zone or the Chamber, or a friend-of-a-friend, I immediately go back to my office and look at their web site (assuming they put the URL on their business card, of course.) Now I know that’s what we do here at ICM, but I want to see what their company is all about and you’d be surprised at what I find and the many, many websites in need of an overhaul. But that’s a topic for another day…

>Wait, I don’t even have a website—do I need one? That’s where we come in. Call us, let’s grab some coffee, and talk about if we can work together.

ICM is a women-owned firm, established in May 2001. We’re proud of that status, especially when we saw the stats that show women-owned businesses are growing at a rapid, healthy pace.

The number of women-owned businesses grew much faster than overall businesses over the latest period studied, a report released in late 2006 by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy says.

During the five years between 1997 and 2002, women-owned firms grew by 19.8 percent while all U.S. firms grew by 7 percent. The report also found that, in 2002:

> Women owned 6.5 million nonfarm firms (28.2 percent of the total).

> Women-owned firms that were employers had an annual
payroll of $173.7 billion.

> Women-owned firms accounted for 6.5 percent of total
employment in U.S. firms and 4.2 percent of total receipts.

> Significant proportions of women-owned businesses were in professional, scientific, and technical services and in health care and social assistance.

Sometimes you need to get out of the office to do some thinking. Sometimes you need a place to be creative, or to meet with a client. Since Ann Arbor’s got a plethora of coffee shops in the downtown region, we decided to take the guesswork out of finding the perfect coffee shop for any reason at all.

Best coffee shop for brainstorming: Espresso Royal on Main

Ever notice how your best ideas come after a great hit of caffeine? Here at Inner Circle, we try to find that delicate balance between high energy creativity and feeling like someone is chasing us. So we do lots of brainstorming at Espresso Royale on Main, due to its proximity to our office and that Carrie and Catherine love the Morning Glory muffins. But it is a great place to get some work done—lots of tables, it’s never super crowded, the noise level is low, but not library-quiet, and you get to see Shakey Jake nearly every time you go there.

Best coffee shop for networking/running into other people: Sweetwaters on Washington

We’ve had tons of meetings at Sweetwaters on Washington, and we find it is great place to have a meeting and see lots of locals. Not only do they serve the best muffins in town (Ed’s Breads, also served at Afternoon Delight), they have those high tables in the window, so you can feel like an adult sitting with colleagues instead of hunched over those usual coffeehouse tables, so little that they hearken back to the days in kindergarten, when all you needed was a box of crayons, a blank piece of paper ripped off from those huge rolls, and the one kid who only drew his dog. But I digress…this would not be my choice to go and be quiet with myself, as I would get distracted by former co-workers, clients, elected officials, and colleagues parading through the place.

Best coffee shop for coffee

This is obviously up for debate, as people’s coffee tastes run the gamut. I’m talking straight-up, house blend coffee with nothing foaming, whipped or infused into it. Personally, I think Starbucks coffee tastes like pure coffee grounds with a little water run through it (though don’t get me started on the Chai Tea Lattes there—nothing better on a brisk day when you don’t need a huge jolt of caffeine but need something sweet), Sweetwaters’ coffee is never quite hot enough, and I can’t afford Zingermans’, which I’m sure is beyond good and probably from some mountain valley in Honduras and personally selected by Juan Valdez’s kin. I’m a huge fan of Espresso Royale’s coffee, especially their iced coffee, which is a refreshing way to start a summer day. Café Felix serves a good cup, and Beaner’s is tasty as well (their Michigan Cherry blend is to-die for).

Best coffee shop to close a deal: Café Zola on Washington

My vote for closing a deal is based on a variety of factors: do they have a liquor license? Can I order a cocktail? And, can I celebrate with a real drink? Seriously, though, while Café Zola has delicious waffles and eggs any time of day, celebrating a big deal with a something a bit stronger than coffee, or at least having the option, is important. Make mine an Irish coffee!

Best coffee shop for procrastinating: Sweetwaters in Kerrytown

Just about every coffeeshop downtown could qualify. There so many comfy chairs and dark corners to get lost in, blasé soft pop music allowing your mind to wander, and that sweet sweet smell of the barrista hard at work. For productive procrastination (e.g., I have work to do but I also need something to look at), I like Sweetwaters in Kerrytown. Not only can you get a fine tea or coffee drink, but you can gaze at the produce at the grocery store that takes over the majority of the bottom floor, contemplating what’s for dinner tonight. Take a gander at the fresh fish selection, or wonder why the Bi Bim Bop at Kozmo’s is so delicious. Or look out the window and watch tattooed, purple-haired Community High students roaming about. Another favorite adventure is to grab some java and browse through the two-storied Vintage 2 Vogue store and the eclectic store Found. Also, everyday wines is a great shop for good, inexpensive wine with knowledgeable staff. But I digress…It’s far enough away that you might not run into your boss, but close enough to pop over on a particularly slow Tuesday afternoon.

Best coffee shop for watching college kids procrastinate: Starbucks on State

If you’ve ever been into the Starbucks at the corner of Liberty and State, you know this would be the perfect place to stage a drop in a spy movie. So crowded, so noisy—it’s almost like a mini-airport. People are reading newspapers and novels, most of the patrons have heavy bags and backpacks with them, and people are constantly shouting to each other and moving to and fro about the place. It’s a great place to put in your earplugs, catch up on your podcasts, and be thankful that your days of homework are far behind you as your watch a kid in a Michigan sweatshirt reads the same page of Nizsche over and over and over.

Best coffee shop for writing

Catherine swears by Espresso Royale for doing work as she likes using the electrical plugs for her laptop. I’ve done some writing there because it is relatively quiet, but mostly in my notebook. Personally, I think anyplace that isn’t your office or home is a great place to zone out, write in your journal or planner (or into your Blackberry) and have that soothing sound of whirring coffee beans buzzing in the background. Nothing says productivity to me like a good caffeine buzz!