There are so many issues in our community that affect young people. But the opportunities for them to do anything about these issues are few and far between. Until now.
The Pittsburgh Foundation, in partnership with The Grable Foundation, has created a three-part online competition series titled Voices of Youth. The purpose of these competitions is to get local youth more involved in community issues and philanthropy.
Because this is an online-only competition, the design and functionality of the website was critical. That’s where MarketSpace Communications stepped in.
Our challenge was to design a site that would appeal to a broad target of local youth. A site that was edgy but not intimidating, intuitive but not over simplified. A site that was bold and exciting enough to create energy and enthusiasm for this unique opportunity.
That’s exactly what we did. And it worked.
The second competition in this series, titled “Youth Creating Change,” just came to a close. That contest challenged the youth of Pittsburgh to identify issues that affect their daily lives, and then create a project that would generate positive change around those issues.
The “Youth Creating Change” competition generated many exceptional ideas. See for yourself at pghvoicesofyouth.com.
The third and final competition in the Voices of Youth series will launch in April. The Pittsburgh Foundation will once again enlist the help of MarketSpace Communications to continue this successful effort. Together, The Pittsburgh Foundation in their philanthropy and MarketSpace in their creativity, are giving the youth of Pittsburgh a voice—and a chance to make a real difference.
We’re expanding every which way. Including sideways!
Already in 2010, we’ve added three members to our MarketSpace team. And with these new additions comes another a new addition—to our office space!
In January, we brought Maureen Rooney on board as an Account Executive. Maureen came to us from a large agency in Pittsburgh, where she was part of the core team that led the second largest account in the shop. She brings experience in multiple industries including gaming, retail and non-profit accounts. Her ability to develop and maintain relationships will be instrumental as MarketSpace continues to grow their client base. Maureen graduated from Duquesne University with a BA in Communications Studies and a concentration on Integrated Marketing Communications.
In February, we brought on two new designers, Lindsay Polito and Kevin Hilliker. Lindsay brings four years of experience in graphic design and production to the MarketSpace team. She not only understands the full creative process, but she has worked through every aspect of it, from conception through print release. Her design skills have touched just about every media, including print, packaging, sales kits and web. Lindsay graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia with a BA in Graphic Design.
Kevin joined MarketSpace with three years of design experience under his belt. He brings with him strength and experience in strategic branding initiatives, and a portfolio of work that has produced impactful, long-range business solutions. In past jobs, he has worked on a diverse range of clients, from manufacturing to medical equipment and everything in between. Kevin graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a BS in Graphic Design.
The addition of these three team members has MarketSpace lacking a key component of our namesake—space. So beginning in March 2010, we’ll be expanding our current office into an adjacent space on the same floor of our building. This is the second time in less than three years that we’ve had to branch out to accommodate our fast-growing company—not a bad problem to have!
Getting Started with Social Marketing: An Essential Effort for Every Business
By Pam Peters, President and CEO, MarketSpace Communications
Corporate web presence is in the midst of a transformation: from passive to interactive. It’s an incredibly interesting and exciting evolution, especially for consummate jugglers of imagination, communication, and bottom line marketing. This new web presence is social marketing. And there’s virtually no business that shouldn’t get involved.
I’m sure you’ve been hearing about it lately. You hear that it’s a cost-effective marketing tool, a fresh funnel for prospects, a new way to gather research about your customers, and an opportunity to be really creative! But for some of you, you’re hesitant. You have a lot of questions. Is it right for your business? How hard is it to learn? Are there rules or best practices? Can you get solid results? Is it just a passing fad?
While those questions are valid, social marketing is a medium you can no longer ignore. The most popular social networking sites are growing at unbelievable rates. According to emarketer.com, Twitter alone will have over 18 million users in the US in 2010. And Facebook has over 300 million users worldwide.
But social networking sites only make up a small part of what social marketing is as a whole. Other tools include online videos (e.g. YouTube), text messaging campaigns, blogging, online research (e.g. Bzzagent), podcasts, and so much more! Simple online tactics such as email campaigns, enewsletters, or online advertising can be (and should be) easily tied into your social marketing plans. Not every social media is right for every business. But as long as your audience is online, there is likely an avenue that will suit your business.
So where do you start?
First, find simple ways to complement your existing marketing plan. Try starting with well-known social marketing sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. There are even online communities geared toward specific interests (e.g. Greenwala—a community focused on going green). Search around to see if there are any that make sense for your particular business or target market.
From there, there are countless ways to cross-pollinate your message online alone. Get creative! For your next project, consider building a mini integrated online campaign within your social networking site(s) and tie it to your corporate website. Or, launch with a direct mail piece and reinforce it with a viral video no YouTube. Or do all of the above! From this point on, every time you use a traditional marketing tactic, you should consider complementing it with an online or social component.
A few tips: First, only join social communities that suit your brand. Check out a directory such as mashable.com or just do a web search for “social networking” to see what’s really out there; Keep your content fresh and ask questions, don’t just push information to your followers; Create a voice and brand personality (e.g. is light-hearted, serious, factual, or humorous); Set up a response process and updating plan ahead of time; and be patient—it takes time and nurturing to build and expand a viable community.
Social marketing is an excellent tool to increase brand awareness and reach your audience a whole new way. Once you get started, you’ll soon be consumed by this whole new world. And you’ll find that it’s not only easy to implement this type of marketing, but that it’s absolutely essential to your success.