Robot Creative - Design and Marketing Weblog

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. 

 

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 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.

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).

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

Paper School!

Our designer Andrew Watson attended paper school hosted by Clampitt Paper. In addition to getting to check out some great new papers and tour their facility, he brought back some interesting points about paper and how we use it as consumers.

- Synthetic papers are a newer trend that have some great properties for projects that require maximum durability and resistance to moisture.

- Cranes paper company prints all of our countries' money and most of the world's other currency as well.

- 3 trees are planted for every 1 that is harvested by the paper industry. Paper is definitely a sustainable product.

- When you see the FSC, PEFC, or SFI logo on the paper you are purchasing, you know that paper mill can track exactly what forest was used in the production of the paper and that it's not purchasing wood/trees from unregulated forests.

- Of all the wood extracted from the world's forests, 53% is used for energy production, 28% is used by lumber mills and only 11% is used by the paper industry. 8% is used in other industries. 

- The brightness factor of a paper refers to the light reflection from the surface of the paper and not the lightness or darkness of the paper.

Another point that was mentioned that Robot likes to impress on our clients (especially for small businesses), is to use uncoated papers for most collateral and identity pieces. By far, most printed items we see on a daily basis is of the coated / glossy variety. A lot of this is junk mail and high volume commodity printing. By choosing to use a finer quality premium uncoated paper, you are separating your brand from the pack and placing in your customers hands something that is inherently more memorable and feels more personal.

Workshop - Visual Branding: Solidify Your Company's Identity

Find out how large corporations build and manage their brands, and see how applying those principles can help businesses of any size. During the second half of the workshop, we'll focus on your materials! Bring it all with you, from brochures to business cards to signs to your website to your sales proposals to your ads. We'll take a look at everything together in a guided group critique. Is your message and image consistent? Are you conveying your differentiators in a unique way? Get first-hand tips on things you can improve RIGHT NOW with your branding efforts.

Date & Time
Wednesday, November 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 >>

 

Webinar: International Sales Made Easy with AdWords

Presented by Lara August, Owner and Creative Director of Robot Creative
In Partnership with the International Trade Center

Google AdWords has put together an impressive set of tools to make international sales a reality for even the smallest businesses - from market research to advertising to translation to sales! This webinar will start with the basics and cover some of the most common AdWords mistakes. Then, we will dive deeper into the free international resources that are available to help you launch your international AdWords campaigns. 

You will learn about:

• Honing Your Skills on the Local Market
• Most Common Mistakes
• Market Research Tools
• Advertising with AdWords
• Translating Your Website
• Customer Service Translation Tools

Wednesday, October 26
2-3:30pm CST
$25 per session

More Information or Register Now >>