It has been a fantastic year for Connecting Images, its clients and suppliers in which we have strengthened existing relationships and created some very exciting new ones! The team has enjoyed the opportunity to work on some exciting AND challenging projects!

Amongst our many highlights for the year are:

ASSA ABLOY - producing internal, external publications, media campaigns

Baldasso Cortese Architects has been responsible for some very successful projects in 2008 - particularly in Childcare and Education, and we have enjoyed supporting these efforts with some very targeted media campaigns.

Festival Indonesia was a fantastic event held in August full of colour, culture, fragrant food and trade opportunities.

Future Fibre Technologies’ unique fibre optic security systems has come under the spotlight. Trade shows, media campaigns and online marketing have kept us busy.

Heat Beads^® brand new website www.heatbeads.com.au was launched. This website is going gangbusters, already achieving previously undreamt of results in terms of user engagement and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). 150 new opt in subscribers to the site, in the first 20 days of December is most encouraging.

New clients, Optalert www.optalert.com and Dr. Murray Johns www.epworthsleepinessscale.com, are very satisfied with their refreshed websites. Each site provides astounding information in terms of drowsiness detection technology and research. Brilliant product for transport, mining and railway industries particularly, and an extremely important work safety innovation.

Portfolio Management Services has joined us as a client and we look forward to working with the team in 2009.

Profitable Hospitality’s annual Chicago tour went off without a hitch this year, making it one of the best to date. Working on the inaugural Food & Beverage Summit in collaboration with the Club Managers Association of Australia in October was hugely rewarding and a great success!

Review has attracted strong traffic to its site, driven by a regular blog, showcasing the latest styles and trends. In 2009, we will continue to grow web traffic and drive user engagement.

Ronson Gears is still getting rave reviews for its ‘Gear Whispers’ Newsletter; we’re pleased to hear.

Vividas Asia Pacific has achieved some impressive wins in 2008. Its highlights include the live streaming of the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach over Easter and the Rip Curl Pro Search World Tournament in Indonesia in August. The rapid uptake of live streaming by corporates, as a highly successful communication tool, is impressive.

The Connecting Images team wishes all you all a very enjoyable festive season and a productive, fulfilling and prosperous New Year! We look forward to working with you in 2009.

The Connecting Images office will be closed on December 24 and will reopen on January 12.

We’re all aware that the ways in which people source information is changing, but just how rapidly these changes are happening and what it means for your business may be harder to grasp. How do you get your products and ideas into the marketplace? What methods of marketing and communications should you use? Are advertising and media communication mediums really changing?

Statistics show us that young people spend more time surfing the web than they do watching TV - and it’s not only the young who spend time online! Fairfax media has recently slashed is staff around the country in a desperate bid to stay afloat and relevant in the digital age. Australia’s commercial free-to-air networks are struggling to maintain audience figures that only a few years ago would have been considered inadequate.

Recently James Packer walked away from PBL, leaving the Nine Network and ACP magazines deep in debt and in desperate need of a financier to support repositioning of the company online.

Back in the good old mid-’80s, advertisers could rest easy in the knowledge that if they booked spots across the three major commercial networks they would reach the majority of Australia’s consumers. Not so today.

Recent surveys of consumer respondents have shown that:
* 19% stated spending six hours or more per day on personal internet usage, versus nine percent of respondents who reported the same levels of TV viewing.
* 66% reported viewing between one to four hours of TV per day, versus 60% who reported the same levels of personal internet usage.

So what are your options in this brave new world of media? The short answer is that marketers need to integrate the traditional media of press, TV and radio with the new social media elements added to the mix.

Smart marketing makes the most of these new environments, reaching target audiences directly - interacting and engaging people and key decision makers on their terms.

When you understand where your audience and markets source their news and information, you can consider different media to reach them.

Here are just some of the options you can consider as part of your ongoing marketing:
* create a company blog
* participate in social media forums
* create company profiles and share relevant content on social networks
* create videos and demos for YouTube, webcast and podcast.

Most importantly, make sure this content is closely managed, with new information added constantly.

As you enter 2009, is it time to review your external communications plan? What are your customers reading, listening to, watching?

As with many publications today, there are two main ways catalogues can be distributed - through traditional mail and online. Whatever your distribution preference, we are experienced in creating catalogues that clearly communicate how your product will benefit your potential customers, rather than just listing the product’s features and details.

Catalogues have traditionally had great potential to end up in the recycling bin. However, producing a professional looking and accurate catalogue with sharp, striking images and persuasive copy that speaks to the reader, can leave your customers feeling inspired.

The Connecting Images team produces award-winning catalogues through:
* Photography (individual product shots and/or lifestyle images)
* Copywriting
* Graphic design
* Print management
* Project management (catalogues usually come with tight deadlines!)

Ready to support your sales team with a catalogue of your very own? Contact Cal Tod at Connecting Images on (03) 9819 2566.

Event management can be a tricky business. While it can require months of thorough preparation, organisation and planning, this should not be a deterrent. A special event can be a fantastic, fun and very strategic way to celebrate a myriad of achievements such as a product launch, corporate entertainment or a new service.

If managed well, and incorporated as a cohesive part of your business marketing activity, special events also offer great opportunities to achieve powerful branding, positioning and strengthen relationships with your clients.

A special event can get the message out to a targeted group of customers, business partners, new business leads, and media contacts all at once.

It doesn’t have to be a lavish affair in order to be an affair to remember. Even a small event injected with creativity and professionalism can bring big results.

Some of the things you will need to remember for a truly memorable event include:

* A strong/catchy theme
* Updated or ‘clean’ invitee database (including key media contacts and dignitaries if appropriate)
* Guest speakers
* Designing and distributing invitations
* Mail out
* Managing RSVPs - follow up.
* Venue coordination and liaison - make sure the venue is very clear about your expectations!
* Signage and decorations
* Speech writing and MC
* On-the-day greeting and registration
* Event photography and video coverage. (Make sure lighting is appropriate)
* Entertainment
* Catering and beverages
* Media and marketing campaign to leverage your commitment

Connecting Images has much experience in creating and promoting a wide range of events. To discuss the possibilities contact either Merilyn or Cal on (03) 9819 2566.

The popularity of viewing videos over the Internet is a growing trend and shows no sign of slowing. Most businesses are only just catching on to this trend, and the benefits of streaming relevant video footage such as product demonstrations, from their website.

UsabilityOne has produced a research report on ‘how to best include video on the internet’. If it is implemented correctly ‘video has the potential to engage the Internet audience, whether that is to entertain, inform or sell products’ (p.4).

UsabilityOne provides tips on how to produce the most effective videos for Internet users. The top 3 are:

- Only provide short video clips - the attention span of Internet users are often minimal. If you have a lot to say, split your long videos into a few short and interesting sections.
- Embedding video within a webpage to enhance an article, rather than linking to a popup window was preferred by 61% of UsabilityOne’s survey respondents.
- If you employ similar video interfaces to those commonly used on YouTube for example, Internet users are far more likely to find watching your video an easy and satisfying experience.

At Connecting Images we help our clients stream effective video communications from their websites. For more information on how we can help your business, contact Cal on (03) 9819 2566.

Whilst YouTube can be useful for hours of mindless entertainment watching video clips on just about every topic imaginable, utilising video as a communications medium can have significant benefits for businesses.

We at Connecting Images have found clients who have instructional video on YouTube are pleasantly surprised when they check their view stats each month. This provides invaluable exposure of your business’ products or services and key messages to a potentially large audience. But remember you get what you pay for. If your footage warrants high quality streaming, consider paying for a hi definition full-screen streaming service like that provided by Vividas.

At Connecting Images we are experienced in utilising video communications, contact Merilyn or Cal on (03) 9819 2566 for more information.

This absorbing ad isn’t describing the car or its features - it doesn’t need to, because it communicates so clearly the experience of owning the car. Voila!

Details vs. benefits

So often when people write copy, they write details.

They describe all the features of their product/service. But they don’t touch on the benefits that buying will bring.

People don’t buy features. They buy the benefits that your product/service brings them, because of those features. When you’re writing, write to a customer who’s thinking: ‘What’s in it for me?’

What are you communicating that will overcome the obstacles blocking your potential customers from purchasing? - whether those obstacles be them doing it themself, not doing/buying it at all, or buying from someone else.

I heard a fantastic ad on 3AW the other day. It was just a standard radio ad - no fancy dialogue, no music, nothing attention-grabbing at all. It was for a carpet company over in Moorabbin. Now, I am not the slightest bit interested in buying carpet (nor in listening to 3AW for that matter - unfortunately my 17-year-old brother seems to have inherited the soul of a middle-aged man). But I stopped to listen, because right away I knew that it was a great ad.

The ad focussed on how easy the company makes it for you to buy carpet. It stated that the roll you see in the shop is the roll you buy. This company has recognised the fear associated with ordering carpet. People are concerned that what is eventually laid down in their home will be a variation in colour, or not the same quality, or have a fault. The company is addressing that fear head-on. It is essentially saying to its customers: ‘With us, you don’t have to worry. What you see is what you get.’ And that is a benefit to the customer. There’s a fair chance customers will feel more comfortable buying from this company than from the company down the road - the one that’s offering quality carpets in a wide variety of textures and styles.

Details are dry. And more often than not, consumers have heard it all before. Benefits go to feelings and emotions - which how the majority of people make their purchase decisions.

Write benefits, not details.

Considering using email to effectively communicate with current and potential customers, whilst growing a ‘community’ around your brand or services?

eNewsletters can be a cost effective way of communicating in today’s technologically driven world. However, to cut through the clutter of spam emails and phishing scams (attempting to acquire sensitive information from people such as credit card details, by posing as a trustworthy entity in an email or on a website), can present a challenge.

To ensure your eNewsletters do not end up as a permanent fixture in the ‘junk’ folder, there are a few simple steps you can follow:

Concise copy - research shows that 43-60% of click throughs in an eNewsletter occur before the reader reaches the point at which they must begin scrolling to view the content, known as ‘below the fold’. This means the more copy; the less it’s going to be read.

Catchy subject lines - readers need motivation to open the email - a subject heading that catches their eye and makes it stand out from the other 50 odd emails in their inbox.

Eye-catching design - whilst this is not essential, a well-designed eNewsletter can help to attract readers and communicate a consistent image for your company.

Now to pay some bills:
Connecting Images specialises in creating and delivering effective eNewsletter communications. To find out more on how we can help your business, call Merilyn on (03) 9819 2566.

Communicating in an over-communicated world is an on-going challenge.

Ensuring your customers “hear what you are saying” by development key messages is vital to the success of any marketing campaign. By sending a targeted message to your audience you significantly increase your chances of obtaining the results you’re aiming for. Here are a few useful tips in creating purposeful and effect key messages:

• Use a maximum of three key messages throughout your campaign - it is important to limit the number of key messages contained in a campaign to avoid confusion and competing objectives within your communications.

• When developing your three key messages, try to keep in mind at all times: what is in my audience’s self interest?

• It is important to keep ethical dilemmas in mind whilst establishing key messages. For example: when dealing with a crisis, your key messages should be solidly grounded in the truth. This avoids any further disasters and damage to your business’ reputation, such as when the real truth is revealed – and most likely will be!

Recently one of our team members placed two online orders on the same day. Both from small web businesses selling the wares of young, independent designers online.

One order (a pendant) arrived wrapped in tissue and packaged in a small gift box, invoice enclosed.

The other (two tiny badges) arrived wrapped in tissue, invoice enclosed. It also included a free tiny badge and a handwritten note from the owner thanking me and hoping we enjoy the purchase. The order (including postage) cost $11. We’ve also been added to the site’s database, and receive an email from them every month with new or featured products.

There was nothing wrong with the first company - the order was delivered safely and on time. Therefore, its impact was neutral - it delivered what I expected. But the impact of the second company was to leave us surprised and delighted - it exceeded our expectations.

What are you doing to make your customers to feel excited about their purchase from you? While not every business can afford to write a handwritten thank you, all businesses can adopt the principle of exceeding expectations. And, don’t forget you can never say ‘thanks’ enough.