The latest issue of August Insights, my consultancy's e-newsletter, went out today. You can read it online, and even subscribe if it strikes a chord. This month's issue asks if the traditional Web site, as organizational online presence, is past its expiration date. And, I point out the lesson that Amazon's Kindle can teach us about our customers.
Clearly, posting here has been on the light side. Between a crush of projects with longtime clients, starting up a consulting gig for a new client (B2B services), and juggling a variety of other items, I haven't devoted much time to this poor blog.
That's not to say I'm inattentive to my online presence. Rather, I've been spending more time with Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and LinkedIn. Each plays a role in keeping me connected, and in the flow of shared ideas.
This will come as no surprise to Twitter users, but the platform generates the most interest among clients and colleagues, while being the least understood. My advice to them: Get an account, start using it, and the value will become clear.
I've enjoyed working with the good folks at The Bloom Agency since I joined them late last summer, but as of this week I'm back on my own, working under the August Communication Consultants banner. As agencies go, I can't think of a better place than Bloom to call home. But my heart is in working as a consultant, one-on-one with clients and agencies, and as part of a creative collaborative with talented designers and programmers.
I'm hiring an interactive designer. Here's the skill set I want:
The agency web site (read: lack of) is a thorn in our sides so it's back near (read: vying with way too much other stuff) the top of my to-do list.
I have a concept. It's gaining traction.
Now it's time to build it.
I'm liking this groove I'm in: Identify problem, brainstorm solution, implement solution. Move on.
Yes, The Bloom Agency needs a new Web site. It's on my to-do list, below some interesting projects in which I've immersed myself. But I will get to it sooner than later.
Those projects:
No worries about staying busy, that's for sure.
Between settling in to a new office, adapting to a longer commute, and starting work with a new (to me) set of clients, the past week has been hectic. Good, but hectic.
The Triad Business Journal ran a story (PDF) in Friday's edition that does a good job of summarizing my move to The Bloom Agency.
The most common question I've been asked during the past week is whether I was looking for an agency to acquire my business. No, I wasn't. Over the past few months I've been working on a pro bono project that The Bloom Agency is also involved with. As I got to know Art Bloom, who founded The Bloom Agency, we found similarities in how we run our businesses, what we value in an industry (marketing) that can sometimes do less for clients than they need and deserve, and how we want to deliver services to those clients. Not to mention, what those services need to be.
The more we talked, the more it made sense for us to work together. So that's where we find ourselves.
So in a way, it was a surprise.
I'll have more on this later, but I'm pleased to announce that The Bloom Agency of Winston Salem, NC has acquired august communication consultants. I'm in the process of setting up shop at Bloom, where I'm the director of interactive marketing.
I'm looking forward to writing about what this means for Bloom, and for me and august's clients. The short story: deeper creative and content capabilities, new opportunities for interactive projects, and a slightly longer morning commute.
One of the benefits (if you're inclined to see it that way) of being at the center of a strategic/creative marketing collaborative -- and that's how I increasingly view august -- is that I'm constantly swapping roles. Today is a typical example, as I leap from business development to project management to copywriting to planning an upcoming photo shoot.
Yes, things are hopping at august hq, as we're planning a Web site refresh for a client and a revamped email marketing campaign for another, designing a booth for a series of trade shows, and finishing the third in a series of client videos. All of it's good work, though it's obviously put a crimp in my writing here.
What's on my mind (and therefore might pop up here in the near future)? Underestimating audiences, and a recent trip to Portland that prompted some hard thinking about artisans, coffeehouse experiences, and the size of the world.
Technorati Tags: august, status, clients, work, portland
I’m Ian Joyce, principal of August Communication Consultants, where I help businesses create good online experiences for customers, employees, partners and other stakeholders. I'm also a writer, and contribute the odd column to the Business Journal of the Triad.
You can follow me on Twitter, see some of my photos on Flickr, thumb (metaphorically speaking) through my retired blog, Ian@work, or read my musings on bicycling.
Send me email.
