Graves Fowler Creative
By 2013, more people will access the Internet from mobile phones and tablets than a desktop computer. Are you making the transition with your web site and marketing?
Here’s a start.
In June, Graves Fowler Creative hosted a virtual open house and round table discussion about the shift to mobile technology. “Best Practices: Choosing a Mobile Strategy that Works for You” grew out of that event.
Tuesday, June 7, 2:00-3:00 pm EDT
Graves Fowler Creative and Blue Atlas Interactive invite you to visit our offices without ever leaving your own.
Join us for this virtual open house with:
Expert insights on the shift to mobile and how to use it well
The open house includes a round table discussion about how the explosion in smart phone and iPad use is changing web and marketing strategies. You’ll learn about:
Panel participants are LuAnne Bell from Blue Atlas Interactive, Jeffrey Everett from Graves Fowler and our marketing partner Laura Pasternak of MarketPoint, LLC.
A mini-tour of our new space
Now that Blue Atlas and Graves Fowler are settled in just across the hall from each other, we want you to see our creative co-op and meet the whole team.
The food and drink are virtual, too
What’s an open house without a spread? When you RSVP, we’ll send you a coupon for a Starbucks drink and treat on us. We invite you to pick up a latté and cookie so you can munch away while we broadcast.
“See you” at the open house!
Are you as tired of the term “social media” as I am? I must see it a gazillion times a day. That’s the way it is with many of the words and phrases that swirl around our work lives. Insider phrases, buzzwords, tired clichés. We’re all guilty of using them. Well, it’s time for a purge.
The List
Megan Patrick recently posted a blog on buzzwords that made me cringe. Good article, but she nailed me. She reported on a survey that The Creative Group conducted among advertising and marketing execs to identify our most annoying industry buzzwords. Here are ten that made the list:
This list is for my people, but I bet you have a list, too. Government buzzwords? Fundraising buzzwords? Nonprofit buzzwords? Talking and writing for each other is not the same as writing for our customers and constituents. Look at the communications on your desk, and the list is waiting for you. My February resolution (I didn’t make it in time for the new year) is to make a list of words to avoid for each of our clients, at least the ones where we provide the writing. Then edit, edit, edit.
Style Guide
One of our clients has a 50-page style guide for all writing that represents this organization. It’s an evolving document, of course, but such an asset when I sit down to write for them. The best thing is that their CEO is The Enforcer, and a good one, too. Do you have a style guide? It doesn’t have to be as comprehensive as Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, and it can always grow. Remember to include some guidelines for online publishing such as blogs and websites, as well as traditional print communications.
Do It Yourself?
You may not want to tackle the job of de-buzzing and clarifying your organization’s content by yourself. Consider bringing in an objective eye (and ear) for some help. A good writer can
Can I make it through a day without using “social media”? Yes, I can and I will, one sentence at a time. Tell me, what are your buzzwords?
Are you as tired of the term “social media” as I am? Seems that’s what everyone wants and few really know how to use. We’re all scrambling to make it work for ourselves and for clients. The New York Times has had a social media editor for some time now. Yesterday she announced (Tweeted) that she would be returning to full-time reporting. Her explanation…”Social media can’t belong to one person; it needs to be part of everyone’s job. It has to be integrated into the existing editorial process and production process. I’m convinced that’s the only way we’re going to crack the engagement nut.” Cheers to Jennifer Preston for her wisdom and action. You can read more about Jennifer’s stance here.
Lead paint. Mold. Pest infestations. A child’s health can be put in danger when home is not a safe place to live. The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative is a coordinated effort to break the link between unhealthy housing and unhealthy children. From November 4-21, there is a national dialogue happening 24/7 online to lay out the challenges, generate ideas and create comprehensive solutions. Check out the cause, and take special note of the logo. We’re proud to say it’s one of ours.
The marathon weekend of packing and loading and moving is now behind us. This Monday morning we’re sitting in the sunny, freshly painted walls of our new offices. Still lots of boxes to unpack, but we’re settling in quickly to our new building in Gaithersburg on the same floor as our web technology partner, Blue Atlas Interactive. It’s exciting to make this change and be able to work together on a daily basis to provide new technology and social media tools that are practical and profitable for our clients.
Here’s the new address:
12 S. Summit Avenue, Suite 325
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
Every fall my partner Terry Graves runs around Washington, DC, directing photo shoots for the fundraising campaign materials we create to promote the annual Archbishop’s Appeal. She’s in and out of hospitals, food pantries, parishes and schools trying to capture the story of the impact donations make throughout the Archdiocese of Washington. After she and the photographer set up shop at Sacred Heart school this week, the children sent thank yous for picking their school to visit. Had to share this one with the world.
A new website launched this summer for John Thompson III and his foundation. The Graves Fowler team designed and developed this new tool to help the Thompson family expand their work for children and families our Washington DC community. Go John and Monica! Go Hoyas!
Global Impact, a nonprofit organization that assures help for the world’s most vulnerable people, has received honors from the Washington Post as a finalist in the 2010 Excellence in Nonprofit Management Awards. We’re proud of them, and proud also to be working with them for a second year on the Combined Federal Campaign for the National Capital Area. Congratulations to all the Global Impact staff! Award announcement details.
Our technology partner, Blue Atlas Interactive, has just posted a handy article to help us all open the door and welcome the new world of mobile technology on the doorstep. If you are interested and don’t know where to start, read this!
Cindy Fowler is the editor of Smart Thinking / Great Design. Her insights and practical approaches come from over 35 years in marketing design, many miles on a bicycle and life as a fearless babyboomer in the world of social media. © 2011 Graves Fowler Creative