“We need a Facebook page and a Twitter account, right?” ask many of our clients these days. Much like clients who want news sections or blogs as part of their websites, our answer is always “It really depends.”

If social media channels are where a majority of your audience is spending their time, then yes, you should probably consider making it part of your marketing and communications plan. But if you don’t formulate a strategy and stick to it, you could make a mess and even undermine your brand in the minds of that same audience.

Many of our clients have jumped into the “Twittersphere“, convinced there is benefit in engaging an audience using this new form of communication through micro-blogging. However, some take on this activity without the aid of a formal strategy to guide them and as a result get caught up in tweeting often instead of tweeting well, risking turning off the new audience they’ve attracted.

One of our clients recently engaged the services of two PR & communications professionals and challenged them to build their brand presence online using Twitter. They came out of the gate strong, using some clever posts to get the attention of dozens, then hundreds, of followers. But as they got more comfortable with this new voice, and others in the group joined in the publishing of tweets, they began to post too frequently (and at the wrong times) and the content of their posts were increasingly less relevant to their business and its audience.

Our advice? Focus. It was time to re-examine the strategic plan outlining why they were using social media in the first place. A social media plan is terribly important if you want a tool like Twitter to work for you.

One of the fundamental issues behind a decision to engage in social media with business has to be the goals and objectives. As with any marketing initiative, it is imperative to consider who your target audience is, how they are using social media and most importantly the core message you want to share with your audience. Lastly, some thought toward how success in this new realm will be measured is highly recommended to avoid endlessly investing time with no notion of what positive impact the effort is having

Our client stated that they were expanding their tweets beyond their niche focus to integrate others’ posts (retweets) and local events to establish community relations. This might be a smart strategy if used wisely, but could undermine the whole effort if it resulted in a drift away from the core message and numerous tweets which ultimately serve to annoy their audience.

As much as social media can be a fabulous way to create large ‘social’ networks, when used in the service of business, it works best when focused on expressing or reinforcing that ONE THING that a business does best.

For example, a restaurant may choose to use Twitter to foster a genuine relationship with an online community–especially if there is something unique about the restaurant that people may not know about from existing channels. This audience might be grateful to read posts about location openings, new dishes, special offers, contents, events, even customer polls, but that same audience might not appreciate being inundated by frequent, irrelevant or even confusing tweets.

Many social media experts will argue that using Twitter is about creating a conversation, which we agree with, and having a human tone and friendly interactions can be a good way to engage a community in a dialogue, but one should remember that this is still a business/consumer relationship. A corporate Twitter account isn’t probably the best place for chit chat with strangers, clogging others’ Twitter stream.

It’s a good idea to remember that you’re not buddies, and keep casual conversations to a minimum—just enough ton invite or welcome new members to your tribe. If tweets are meaningless gibberish without clicking on “In Reply To…”, or merely retweets of some local Twitterstar with little relevance to your core message, then you are risking annoying your audience and might suffer the dreaded “unfollow”.

Our experience has shown that personalized, original content wins over repurposed content every time, so when tempted to reply, quote or retweet anything, our advice is to pause to recall your strategy, asking yourself “Is this the right tone or relate to our core message?” or “Will our audience understand or even care about this?”

Another risk when tweeting for business is too frequent of posts, which is a common reason for users to unfollow an account. If you have a lot to say, stop to ask yourself “Have I tweeted too much today?” or “Should I schedule this for later?” knowing that there are spikes in Twitter activity in late morning with the peak actually between 3–4pm. Avoid posting a flurry of tweets in a row if you can help it.

Using the restaurant example, perhaps tweets about offers or specials could be scheduled for late afternoon or early evening, resulting in the highest revenue return as people consider where to dine that night.

One company who we think does a tremendous job of using social media to build their business is Rouxbe.com, a Vancouver-based online cooking school and recipe website. They know exactly who their audience is and what they are interested in, and they never stray from their core message.

They tweet original and relevant content just frequently enough to stay top of mind and at strategic times during the day. They also use a variety of online media tools such as Netvibes to track mentions of key words and phrases that appear in the Twittersphere so they can respond to them strategically. They’re cunning in fact.

When someone posts a tweet that says something like “I wish I new how to cook”, they engage them by following them, followed up with a short greeting along with appropriate links to pages on their online cooking school. If someone posts something specific, like “I’d love to learn how to make pad thai,” they respond with a direct link to that recipe with video instructions.

“We hope to do more on the social media side, and for me it’s all about providing a service to others—even if this just means reading, comment or contributing to others.” says Rouxbe founder Joe Girad. “What we try NOT to focus on is “pitching” Rouxbe too often.” This strategy is results in a quick, inoffensive and effective way of engaging people, and their social media efforts have not only helped create a large community, but more importantly a highly focused one that actually spends money on the  company’s website!

Going back to the restaurant example, perhaps the chef decides to do create a special dish? This is a terrific example of what to feature on their Twitter channel! Heck, they could even link to info on the qualities and characteristics of the ingredients and done well, this will compel people to engage in conversation, others to come to the restaurant to try it out.

Of course a restaurant doesn’t want to sound desperate, but some have even started using Twitter to offer special discounts to users and post information on waiting time for tables. Useful and relevant to that audience, making them feel like they have a genuine relationship with the business—like they are part of their tribe.

There are a couple key things to keep in mind when using Twitter. Twitter is just a tool—in fact, it’s a very easy thing to learn how to use—but it takes training and practice to become an effective Twitter user. Also, there is a huge difference between people AT a company and the way they tweet versus the way the company itself tweets to its audience. Forget that and things can backfire quickly.

To summarize, using Twitter can be a powerful business tool used to attract a broader audience when used cleverly as part of a social media strategy, but it can also be a risky proposition if not done well.  When focused and on message, Twitter can help build a business and increase the value of its brand, but used haphazardly and in an unfocused manner, a business runs the risk of annoying and even alienating consumers, causing potentially irreparable damage to the relationship. The key to success is a well-considered strategy resulting in a set of rules understood by all participating in social media outreach.

Now consider all the other social media tools you can use, such as Blogs (yours and others), Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Digg, Technorati, Tumblr, Foursquare, Gowalla…the list goes on. The  reality is that unless you employ a dedicated, full-time  marketing person to create and maintain a comprehensive program, you’ll not likely want (or need) to engage in all of these channels—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go secure accounts in all of them before someone else does!

We designed labels for this local brewery’s ‘Limited Release’ series of craft beers. These products are packaged in large, 650 ml bottles and often have their own unique look and feel while still maintaining a strong, uniform identity.

“Industrial Brand’s fun, energetic thinking provides out-of-the-box creative for those clients who are looking for fresh, upbeat ideas. Their attention to detail is second to none. As an added bonus, Ben & Mark’s off-beat wit and humour add a smile to your every day.” - Alynn Fast, Brand Manager, Granville Island Brewing

Livium is an online real estate community intended to give dedicated real estate professionals the online tools needed to better market their listings, their neighborhood and, in the process, themselves. We designed this identity to give Livium the foot hold needed to become the first source people turn to for real estate-related information.

WHERE

If you know what the difference between grilling and barbequing is, then you probably also know who Rockin’ Ronnie Shewchuk is. He’s the author of BBQ Secrets, Planking Secrets and BBQ Secrets Deluxe and a highly regarded competition barbeque champ. Ron and his team, the Buttshredders, made barbeque history in 2001 when they became the only Canadian team to ever win a USA-based barbeque competition in a stunning upset at the Oregon State Open Barbecque Championships.

Not too long ago Ronnie teamed up with veteran hot sauce maestro Denzel Sandberg of Denzel’s Hot Sauce to craft a line of barbeque sauces. Recognizing the need to create a brand and packaging of the same award-winning calibre as the contents, Ronnie and Denzel turned to Industrial Brand.

IDEAS

Our first move was to have lunch with Ronnie at a local Brazilian all-meat buffet. Our second was to have brunch with Ronnie and Denzel at a cajun place where we also sampled a new sauce they were playing around with (had to order an extra side of potatoes to test that out on!).

Both Ronnie and Denzel are award winning champions in their respective areas, and their sauces had already won prestigious international awards. In addition, the sauces are made of all natural ingredients with no additives or preservatives. It seemed only “natural” to brand the sauces as “Ronnie & Denzel’s Natural Champions”.

Following an intensive review of both the local and international barbeque sauce market, we determined the packaging needed to address the premium contents and price point to give consumers the reassurance that they were getting fantastic sauce value. We needed to do this without resorting to gimmickry or straying too far from a traditional bbq feel.

We achieved this while also working within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) rather stringent labeling laws and utilizing the existing bottle form factor and the client’s current labeling printer and machinery.

WORK

The result, aside from constant and immediate urges to fire up our office Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, is a brand that is uniquely Ronnie & Denzel’s, applied to a line of sauces that dramatically captures the essence of the high quality ingredients and obvious passion and talent of its creators.

The impression is of a sauce worthy of the price that doesn’t abandon the equity of Ronnie or Denzel or the essential smokey, wood-fueled tradition of meat glorification that is real southern barbeque. These are bottles that inspire you to fire up the coals (or turn on your grill).

WHERE

This large direct marketing and mail service company was grappling with a recent change in management as well as issues with their name and identity. Not only was the full name of the company not conveying their core service offerings, it was confusing their intended target and possibly positioning them as competitors rather than a viable partner.

IDEAS

The company needed a way to appeal to its target audience and reinforce their reputation as friendly, approachable and dedicated.

Rather than relying on the typical mail-related iconography used in the past and overused by the competition, the new logo and supporting materials personify the company by highlighting “Kirk” in a professional, yet almost whimsical manner. The upward slope of the letterforms and the dot of the “I” in the cradle of the final “k” suggest the progression of a project. The colours chosen reflect the cool stability of dark metallic grey and an approachable, friendly green. The final message that the viewer takes away from the logo — perhaps the most important message that this logo conveys — is a literal one: Kirk will not drop the ball when it comes to its clients requirements and expectations.

WORK

The old purple colour was retired and replaced with a vibrant and more friendly bright green that has been used to refresh all brand touchpoints from business cards and visitor passes right through to delivery trucks and the physical building itself. Nothing has been left untouched. Custom Kirk shipping cartons and even a custom Canada Post Kirk stamp say to clients that they ‘understand the business’ and that they are not only serious about what they do, they do it better than anyone.

Staff and clients have all responded very favourably to the new brand. In the first year of its implementation, sales were 28% higher than they were the year before.

My wife, who doesn’t even eat lamb, sent me a link to a company called Edible. Divided into sections: Insectivore, Herbs & Spices, Aphrodesiac, Carnivore, Herbivore, and Apothecary, the company scours the earth for the rare, the exotic and unusual. How unusual? How about Ambergris Face Wash which comes from the hindgut of the Sperm Whale? It’s a natural phenomenon and the whales spit the secretion into the sea after eating Giant Squid.

Uh wait, what’s an Insectivore? Someone who eats bugs. Bug eating. Yeah, this is the best part. You want a chocolate covered scorpion or South African Mopani worms, this is the place to get them. The site indicates exactly where in the world the insects are from, how they are harvested and what they are traditionally used for, and how.

Seriously, the descriptions make me rather curious to try it. For example, ” The Ants are specially bred Polyrachis Black Ants, and they have a spicy peppery taste similar to chilli peppers…” Sign me up.

And, as mentioned, the packaging is really cool. Seriously, it takes the Fear Factor down a notch.

I love weird marketing when it’s clever and relevant. The currently popular trend of weird for weird’s sakes—not so much. The Alta Bikes website is weird, witty and wonderful. Not surprising really, when you consider that the super minimalist Alta bicycle was developed by a collaboration between advertising, graphic, furniture & product designers.

By the way, my legs look like that. For serious.

It is so seldom I see a corporate or retailer website that makes me laugh anymore. Everyone seems to take themselves so seriously these days. Not HEMA apparently.

HEMA is a Dutch department store first opened in 1926 in Amsterdam (maybe that explains a few things). Now they have 150 stores all over the Nethrelands, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany. And they have this website product page.

Click and wait. Make sure your sound is up. Now this is a good sense of humour mixed with some click code indeed.