Robot Creative - Design and Marketing Weblog

Workshop - Social Media Management

You are on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and now Pinterest, but so what? Do you have an overall strategy? Whether you handle it in house or you've decided to outsource, you still need to decide how you will manage your social media efforts. What checkpoints do have in place? How will you measure success? What is your strategy, and who is responsible for executing it? This workshop will provide tools and tips you can use in your role as social media manager, including:

• Tracking activity
• Handling reviews and approvals
• Scheduling
• Developing an editorial calendar

 

Date & Time
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
11:30am until 1:00 pm

Cost
$45 (includes box lunch)

Workshop Location
ROBOT office
1114 S. Saint Mary's, #200
San Antonio TX, 78210

To Register
Call 210.476.8801 or email charlie@robotcreative.com

More about Robot Marketing Gym >>

How Solid Is Your Company's Identity?

What is it that makes a brand unique and memorable? Lara August, ROBOT's owner and creative director, will present, "Branding: Solidify Your Company's Identity", for the San Antonio Chapter of NARI in May.

Find out how large corporations build and manage their brands and see how applying those principles can help businesses of any size. Get first-hand tips on ways you can improve your branding efforts RIGHT NOW!

Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Time: 11:30AM
Location: Meson European Dining (located in the Waterford Shopping Center at 927 North Loop 1604 East)
Cost: $15 for first-time attendees (Non-Members may attend one meeting)
RSVP: Register now (select the May meeting)

Looking for a Marketing Intern or an Internship? Come to a Marketing Intern Mixer!

Robot Creative's Marketing Internship Mixer will pair students looking for summer and fall marketing internships with small businesses looking for marketing interns.

For businesses looking for a marketing intern:
As a result of our student outreach programs, we've built a network of marketing students who are looking for internships. You can meet them at Robot's Marketing Intern Mixer. To attend the mixer and/or to receive a packet of student resumes, please complete this form by Thursday, April 26.

For students looking for a marketing internship:
Network with small business owners in a variety of industries from around San Antonio. You might even leave the mixer with an internship lined up! To register, email Brittany Tradup with your resume and this completed form (download document) by Thursday, April 26.

When and Where:
Monday, April 30, 4-5:30 PM
Robot Creative
1114 S. Saint Mary's #200
San Antonio, TX 78210
 
Cost:
Attendance for students and businesses: Free
Packet of student resumes and profiles (for businesses only): $20

Welcome Jenna Osborn - Account Manager

Jenna Osborn joins the ROBOT team as Account Manager in charge of servicing new and existing client relationships. She brings with her experience as a marketing entrepreneur and a history with ROBOT.

Jenna didn’t originally have dreams of marketing stardom. After graduating from Rhodes College with an English degree, she was set for the world of journalism. That was until she started applying for gigs with local magazines and papers only to discover that it wasn’t as glamorous as “Almost Famous.” Needing a good kick-start in her career, she took a business boot camp at Southern Methodist University in Dallas where she found her calling in marketing.

After gaining some experience in the “real world,” Jenna decided that she needed more than a boot camp to help with her business acumen. She packed up and headed south to San Antonio where a St. Mary’s University Master’s degree in Media Communications gave her the skills to embark upon a decade-long career in marketing.

Jenna and ROBOT actually date back to 2006 when she was working as Marketing Director for a local land developer that hired ROBOT to brand their residential developments. She recently confessed to us she was so impressed with our skills that she always secretly wished to be a part of the ROBOT team.

Once well-versed in the facets of the marketing biz, Jenna decided to follow in her Dad’s entrepreneurial footsteps and start her own boutique web consulting firm. She knows firsthand how hard it is to run your own small company and the importance of great, creative marketing to having a successful business. Wanting to lend her newfound business savvy to a creative firm, Jenna ended up back at our doorstep.

When she’s not marketing, Jenna is an equestrian, a traveller, a foodie and a wino. She enjoys doing most of those hobbies in the company of her husband and two dogs (no wine for them). For Jenna, life is all about learning. Ever the consummate student, she shows up, works hard, does her homework, and makes certain to always have fun!

Workshop - Simple Planning for 2012

Throw the formal marketing plan out the window (if you even have one at all). Because if it's not simple, it probably won't get done. This workshop is in response to the question, "What can small business owners/managers do to stay focused on their marketing efforts even when things get tough or busy?" It will provide practical, effective ideas for staying on top of your marketing efforts.

If you can put aside 1 hour a week, you can stay on track. By implementing even the most simple form of a marketing plan, you will see improvements in your client, vendor and prospect relations... and your SALES! Come learn how!

Date & Time
Friday, December 9, 2011
11:30am until 1:00 pm

Cost
$45 (includes box lunch)

Workshop Location
ROBOT office
1114 S. Saint Mary's, #200
San Antonio TX, 78210

To Register
Call 210.476.8801 or email charlie@robotcreative.com

More about Robot Marketing Gym >>

How To Get the Most Out of Your Student Intern (Updated)

Students look for internships to gain work experience, and you look for interns to help get your projects done. How can you make sure that you are both getting the most out of the experience? Start with these guidelines that ROBOT has developed over several semesters of student interns.

 

Before

1) Plan a specific activity or possible list of activities.
Your intern is going to have a limited schedule for a finite time period and you are going to have limited time to direct them. Set some initial goals for what you would like to have them accomplish, and plan some activities that they can complete during their stay with your company. It's best if the project has a clear beginning and end. Some ideas include:

• Research (on audience, messaging, opportunities, etc.)
• Competitive research
• Mystery shopping
• Social media
• Content creation
• Data organization

2) Be realistic.
Most interns, however brilliant they may be, have limited experience. They may do something outstanding, or they might not do anything worthwhile at all. Maybe the next one will be better. They are in it to learn after all.

3) Familiarize them with your business.
Put a day in the calendar when you can have the intern rotate through every department of the business and learn what everyone does.


During

1) Protect your business interests.
Don't let interns work directly on anything customer facing or mission critical. Have them prepare examples and mock ups and then critique those and have them make changes before changing any of your real life initiatives. For example, want them to prepare an email? Don't let them set it up in your current system. It's too risky if they accidentally send it while learning to use the system. Have them set up a completely new test account and do a test project so that you can gauge their capabilities first. You may get some ideas, but decide to never give them access to the real account!

2) Provide feedback.
Make sure you check in and provide specific, critical feedback. They are there to learn and gain valuable work experience.

3) Require reports.
Have them summarize each project they work on with a presentation, no matter what it is you have them work on. This is good practice for them, a good record of their activities for you, and will help set the bar higher for the next student coming in if you show it to them day one!

4) Keep them involved.
If interns feel like outsiders, they can get bored and disengage very easily. Involve them in as many activities around the company as possible, and help them feel like they are a part of the team.


After

1) Give them credit for the work they do.
No matter how your interns do, write at least a general letter of recommendation. Give them all kinds of credit, and save it as a template for future letters.

2) Offer to provide future recommendations.
If they really did something great, offer to write specific letters when they need them in the future.

3) Help them find a job.
If you like your intern, offer to help him or her find a job after graduation. Nothing builds goodwill like helping terrified kiddos get their first real job. All you probably need to do is email their resumes to a few friends.

 

Update:  Paid or unpaid internship?
Robot Creative cannot offer legal advice. Check out this document from the U.S. Department of Labor and consult a labor law attorney.