Just like many of the hundreds of thousands of anonymous Valentine’s dropping into mailboxes this morning, the real St. Valentine is a man of mystery too. The most likely candidate is a Roman priest, martyred in AD 269, who performed marriages in secret for young lovers during the time when Pope Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men, believing it made them weak soldiers.  Whilst imprisoned for his crimes, St. Valentine cured the blind daughter of his jailer and before his execution he is said to have written her a farewell letter, signing it ‘from your Valentine’. Centuries later, as Christianity spread throughout Europe, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 the feast day of St.Valentine, neatly falling during the Roman festival of fertility, Lupercalia.

It was until Geoffrey Chaucer’s 1382 piece Parlement of Foules, that we find the first modern day reference to Valentine’s Day.  Even Shakespeare’s Ophelia in Hamlet talks of the day.  ’Fancy’ Valentines made with real lace and ribbons, containing self-composed romantic verse, became popular in the UK from the early 1800s.  As postage rates dropped, the popularity of sending Valentine’s soared and factories began mass producing Valentines with paper lace and printed verse.  The fashion quickly crossed the Atlantic; Esther Howland sold and distributed the first paper lace Valentine’s in the US in 1847 from her father’s stationery store.

Fast forward more than 150 years, and today’s retailers and restaurateurs have been quick to add chocolates, roses, diamonds and candlelit dinners to the list of Valentines must-haves.

So what would you prefer; a handmade back-to-basics card with an original piece of romantic verse, or flowers delivered to your door and dinner à deux at the fanciest spot in town? What’s the best Valentine’s Day you have had? We’d love to hear.

The concepts of engagement marketing have been in place for many years, but due to the extensive shift in how the consumer learns, evaluates and connects to a brand; the core elements of engagement marketing have become more important than ever.

Engagement marketing, also referred to as experiential, event, live, or participation marketing, is a strategy that directly engages consumers; inviting and encouraging them to participate in the evolution of a brand. Rather than looking at consumers as passive receivers of messages, engagement marketing actively involves the consumer in the production and co-creation of marketing programs and works to develop a long-term relationship between the consumer and the brand.

Here are some key elements to look for as your brand embraces engagement marketing;

Create a two way dialogue

• Classic advertising and marketing is one-way dialogue between the brand to the buyer.  Consumers are more educated on a vast array of products and are keenly aware that an abundance of information is available to them at all times.  Today, powerful brands are built by the buyers themselves through innumerable conversations in both online and offline communities.   Repeated exposure to the same content via traditional media is no longer a strong influencer to the consumer.  Instead, purchasing decisions are built on information, education and influential communities.

Listen as much as you speak

• Engagement marketing is a collaborative platform that requires the brand to listen, if not more, than it speaks.  Ultimately, the goal of engagement marketing is to ensure that the consumer benefits as much as the brand.  Consumer feedback is critical as consumers are indifferent to brands that are indifferent to them.  By giving your audience the chance to respond to and interact with your company, you’ll build brand loyalty, and allow your company to not only monitor, but participate in the brand conversations taking place in influential communities.

Diversity touch-points

• In today’s world, initiating a two-way dialogue with the consumer means communicating with them through every touch-point and channel that exists.  With the expansion of user generated content, consumers can learn everything they need to know about your brand and don’t necessarily need your website or brochure to acquire this information.  Blogs, social networking sites, webcasts and email campaigns are common online tools utilized to interact with the consumer allowing feedback, conversation and sharing.  Marketing databases used for email can also be used to personalize messages through a variety of channels to customers and prospects.  Information can flow into these databases from other applications – yielding truly engaging messages that drive brand influence and revenue in new and powerful ways.

Using strong customer engagement to compliment traditional advertising can increase your marketing potential and deliver increased ROI through a stronger, more valuable customer relationship. Is engagement marketing part of your existing marketing strategy?  Ask me how to initiate a conversation with your customers today.

When your business is ready to engage a third party marketing firm, there are several questions which need to be asked in order to find the best fit for your company, your budget and your specific corporate requirements.

Like many companies, marketing firms come in all shapes, sizes and specialties.  Your marketing voice is an important arm of your business, and requires a solid partnership to deliver on your corporate objectives.  When investigating collaborations with a third party marketing firm, here are some points to consider.

Financial Commitment

• Before engaging in discussions around program development and execution, ensure that you have a solid idea of budget available from an annual and quarterly perspective.  Most marketing firms can execute a vast array of campaigns ranging from grass roots to national or international exposure, but each element comes at a cost.  When comparing potential partnerships, it is best to present the same information to each candidate – including fiscal commitment – and evaluate what each firm is willing and able to do within the budget and parameters.  Identify hidden costs up front and look for the inclusion of regular program maintenance, strategy and development costs, technical support, data distribution and analysis, program review and billable meeting hours.

Corporate Expertise

• The tenure of a company isn’t necessarily reflective of the expertise of those executing your programs.  Ask specific questions about the people who would be directly involved in your relationship, in particular those building your marketing program and formulating your strategies.  Ask for information about their past initiatives, experience with businesses of similar size, insight and experience into your industry, ideas on how to ensure your brand stands out from your competitors, contact lists associated with your business prospects, insight into new developments in the marketing world and knowledge of your target demographic.

Is there measurable return?

• A tenured marketing firm should provide measurable results indicating their past successes, and present solid numbers on which programs they recommend for your business and the potential return on those investments.  Depending on your corporate goals, this information could be both qualitative and quantitative.  Confirm how results are tracked and measured for the proposed marketing plan, how often results are reviewed and any technical platforms required for your company to analyze or receive these results.    Enquire about past programs that didn’t provide the expected return – how were these results captured and analyzed? What measures were put in place to mitigate future failure?

A sales or a strategic partnership?

• One of the most important elements of any corporate relationship is moving past the ‘sales’ cycle and ensuring that you are hiring a strategic partner who is invested in your business and your corporate success.  Beyond execution of programs, the true value in a marketing firm is creating a robust, comprehensive, strategically sound marketing plan to maximize your corporate reach and support future growth.   Look for a marketing firm that provides a holistic approach to your brand presence, incorporates methods to integrate new and traditional marketing platforms, has an eye on present day deliverables and future initiatives, and is flexible in their ability to implement long term strategies as well as turn-around effective programs on tight time frames.

Are you ready to take your company to the next level by partnering with an external marketing firm? Contact us at melanie@imaginismarketing.com

Hiring an external marketing firm isn’t just for large or multinational companies who are turning around millions of dollars in sales each quarter.  In reality, small to medium businesses can benefit greatest from outsourcing their marketing needs.

As your company grows, internal resources may not be able to strategize, plan, fulfill and analyze all your business requirements, particularly in marketing.  Here are some points to consider when discussing a partnership with an outsourced marketing Firm.

Financial Commitment

• If you are considering hiring an internal marketing professional, the average entry level salary is $30,000 – $40,000 per annum, not to mention the internal resources (computer, cell phone, desk space, office products) and employee costs (benefits, taxes).  Add to this the cost of marketing products and programs, and your company has invested up to $100,000 on an entry level marketer with limited experience and an average lifespan of 14 months with your company.  By hiring an external Marketing Firm you pay the cost of development and execution on your marketing programs with an additional agency fee – a considerably lower investment overall.

Breadth of expertise and coverage

• By collaborating with an external firm, your company is tapping into a team of marketing professionals with a breadth of experience and a multitude of viewpoints to effectively tackle all aspects of your business.  A valuable marketing firm will have both seasoned and young professionals with expertise in all areas of marketing including traditional, social, experiential, brand, retail and trade, as well as a variety of execution levels from grass-route initiatives to national or international campaigns.

Freeing up internal resources

• Valuable marketing opportunities can pop up quickly and require a significant commitment of man-power and resources to execute proficiently.  External marketing firms have access to trained product teams, copywriters, analysts, collateral producers, printers and a number of resources to execute all aspects of your marketing strategy and react quickly to short-notice opportunities.  This allows your internal resources to focus on what they do best: the daily execution and expansion of your business platforms, while the marketing firm executes the major and minor details of the program.

Improving Market Share

• An external marketing firm will not only execute on marketing initiatives, but will strategically create a comprehensive marketing plan to create the best ROI for your corporate initiatives.  A good marketing firm will clarify your corporate message, ensure all communication platforms are coordinated and updated, create effective collateral, ensure your company is at the forefront of messaging for industry news, advancements and technological improvements, and proactively find the most effective methods to get your product in front of your target customer.

If you are ready to take the step to consider outsourcing your marketing needs, join us next week to learn what to look for in a potential Marketing Firm partnership.  Imaginis Marketing is a boutique marketing agency that provides a full range of agency services to small and mid-sized businesses without the large fees and long turn-around times associated with larger firms.  Email us at melanie@imaginismarketing.com to learn more or discuss your marketing needs.

Chinese communities across the globe will celebrate Chinese New Year on January 23^rd as they say goodbye to the year of the Rabbit and usher in the Water Dragon.

The most important of all Chinese festivals, this 15 day long celebration based on the lunar calendar, marks the beginning of Spring.  On the eve of Chinese New Year homes are cleaned and swept of all the bad luck and misfortune to make way for the prosperity and good luck that the new year will bring.  New clothes are worn to signify a fresh beginning and families gather for sumptuous feasts with fish, dumplings and New Year Cake.  Firecrackers explode at midnight to mark the arrival of the new year and money gifts in traditional red envelopes are exchanged. The Lantern Festival, held on the 15^th day, marks the end of celebrations.  Lanterns glow outside homes and excited children carry them as they walk along.  Rice dumplings signifying family harmony and happiness are typically eaten.

Head down to Toronto’s Chinatownat Dundas West & Spadina to watch the lion dancers welcome in the new year on January 23^rd.  Celebrations continue into the following weekend with an array of performances in the local area.  Go and soak up the atmosphere.

January can be a stressful month.  In addition to maintaining the personal commitments to ourselves, it’s often a harrowing time for business owners, team leads and project coordinators.  Many are faced with the challenges of reviewing the past fiscal year and coming to terms with the reality of achieving or missing key targets, then creating new goals and objectives for the upcoming year.

When reviewing the previous year or project, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Be objective

• Although many of us are passionate about the work we do, it’s imperative to be objective and analytical when reviewing project and/or fiscal results.  Analyze results from a third party perspective and create a list of questions relating to different outcomes which may be at the forefront of your superiors minds.  Review the decision making processes behind these results and identify reasons for the outcome.

Identify success and failure

• Most projects have elements of both success and failure in the eventual outcome.  Depending on the mindset of your team, it is easy to overlook one set of elements for the other.  Aside from achieving or missing key targets, success and failure can range from team communication, development of new processes, time management, budget allocation, resource or vendor management and technological efficiencies.

Look for solutions

• Identifying problems, shortfalls and criticisms in a project or annual review is easy, but there are rarely opportunities for learning or improvement in a list of ‘what didn’t go to plan’.  To ensure your team has the best chance for success in the future it’s important to identify issues but also uncover solutions to ensure future endeavors don’t suffer a similar fate.

Involve your team

• Review the participation, work and results of each team member individually as well as collectively to gain a better understanding of the project as a whole and how your team interacts.  Set aside time with each team member to gain their perspective on the project, review their individual participation and uncover growth opportunities for subsequent endeavors.

By objectively reviewing your previous work, you will be better armed to create strategic solutions for the future.  Contact us to engage a marketing expert in the planning process. Have you established your 2012 goals?

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012!!  As we enter into the New Year, one of the first  items of business is to review the financials of the past year, and prepare for the new fiscal ahead.

Here are some tips that every business owner should keep in mind while preparing for the New Year

Get Organized

• Disorganization costs money in overdraft fees, late fees and credit interest – not to mention the risk of tarnishing your financial reputation.  Put systems in place which track the monies owed to you, as well as any bills or outgoing expenditures.  You should always have a clear picture of what is going in and out of your corporate bank account.

Ask for Help

• Taxes can be convoluted – it may be best to hire an accountant to make sure your taxes are filed correctly and to ensure you are claiming all of the deductions you are entitled to.  Your time may be better spent running your business, not your tax portfolio.

Don’t Undervalue your Product or Service

• Your product or service is meeting a need in the market – ensure your prices reflect it.  Now is a good time to conduct some market research to see what your customers are willing to pay for the services you provide, and ensure that your price point is aligned to the industry standard

Ignoring Investments that Boost Productivity

• It may be a new piece of equipment, a new hire, or a new system that will take an investment of time and money to implement.  If you know you can increase the overall productivity of your business, you shouldn’t ignore the opportunity to do so.  There are smart investments that can help your business become more lean and profit-producing.

Don’t Assume you are Getting the Best Value

• For any business purchase, shop around and compare products or services. Just because it was the best deal when you signed up for your internet provider or CRM distributor, doesn’t mean that it still is.  When contracts are coming up for renewal, take the opportunity to compare providers and ensure your getting the best deal you can

Negotiate

• Just as you are likely to offer a deal to your best customers, so will your suppliers.  If you discover you are paying too much for a service or product:  negotiate!  Come to your partners with offers from their competitors – they will most likely match the offer, and you’ll save the additional cost and the hassle of changing providers

Are you set to get your business off and running on the right foot for 2012?

The week between Christmas and New Years is often an interesting time for most business owners and professionals.  The rampage of the holidays has started to soften, the year is winding to its’ end, and yet the holiday numbers haven’t been reported so year-end financials aren’t quite ready to be addressed and a large portion of the office is still away.  It can often feel like a ‘slow’ week, but the ardors of the new fiscal and year-end responsibilities are imminent.

If you are in the office this week, use your time wisely to prepare for the upcoming fiscal and New Year ahead.

• Identify your goals for the coming year
  • With each new fiscal comes new opportunity and new potential for growth.  Review your goals from the previous fiscal and identify how close you were to achieving them, or how much you over-achieved in 2011.
  • To identify your goals for 2012 first identify where you would like your portfolio/business/department to be this time next year including measurable deliverables and results.  Identify the milestones required to achieve the over-all vision and attach timelines to each.  By creating short-term, mid-term and long-term goals associated with your ultimate strategy you are better prepared to identify the resources required to achieve your end result and create a business plan to lead to your ultimate success.

• Take the opportunity to de-clutter
  • Take advantage of your quiet phone and less convoluted in-box and create a fresh working environment for 2012.  Remove un-wanted material from your desktop and shelves.  Edit the contents of your storage space to remove any collateral that no longer reflects your logo or brand correctly or contains dates from previous years.  Ensure your materials are correctly labeled for ease of retrieval and complete a general sweep of your professional environment to make it more streamlined and clutter-free.

• Organize your calendar, contact  book and files
  • Digital calendars and contact cards tend to contain repetitive information and include errors which are time consuming to identify.  Take a morning or afternoon to critically review the databases you utilize every day.
  • Review your daily/weekly/monthly meeting schedule to identify changes which could make your calendar and those of your staff more efficient.  Combine meetings with the same attendees or align them to be more effectively timed, separate meetings which consistently go over schedule due to increased content or reduce/increase the frequency of meetings accordingly
  • Review your contact list to update information on those who have experienced a recent career move and create an archive for contacts you don’t require on a regular basis but wish to keep in your files.

Are you ready to embrace the challenges of 2012?

The holiday season is a fascinating time of year for many.  Christmas is on the same day every year.  There are millions of dollars spent by companies of all sizes reminding us to get our holiday shopping done early – every store, shopping centre and coffee shop is transformed into a holiday wonderland almost as soon as the pumpkins from Halloween are stashed away.  And yet, for oh so many, it tends to all come down to a mad rush at the 11^th hour to accomplish those little tasks we need to do before December 25^th!

If you are one of the MANY who find themselves racing about to get their holiday ‘to do’ list actually done, here are some fantastic resources to help you along the way:

• Need a personal, thoughtful gift but no time to wait in long shopping line-ups?
  • Finding the perfect gift for someone who seem to have everything they ‘need’ and is always on the move can be very challenging – and the ‘gift card’ option can lack the personal touch!  We each have small ways that we like to pamper ourselves – which can be quick and easy to set up.
  • To ensure your loved one has something more than an envelope to unwrap under the tree combine a gift certificate option with a related physical item:  for the spa lover tuck a half or full day spa treatment certificate into the pocket of a plush robe, for the athlete – include introductory sessions to a new sport/activity with a piece of athletic apparel, for the photo buff/ fledgling artist insert a certificate to their favourite camera/art shop or a digital photography class into a picture frame, for the foodie – wrap a bottle of wine with a dinner certificate to that new restaurant s/he has been eyeing

• Have children to shop for but unsure as to what is appropriate?
  • Children can be difficult to buy for – especially for those who aren’t parents themselves, and ensuring that a gift is age appropriate is very important.  Toys R Us takes some of the guess work out of toy shopping with a very convenient on-line shopping guide for every age group ranging from infant to 16yrs.  Visit their web guide at Toys R Us and shipping is still guaranteed in time for Christmas if you act quickly.

• Holiday baking causing you to panic?
  • When you need to provide dinner or even just dessert to a group of people it can be harrowing if you haven’t had time to research or test a recipe.  There are some fabulous online resources which include step by step recipes, time-lines, ingredient ideas and most importantly – public reviews to help you decide what falls within your skill level and the satisfaction expectations.  Visit Epicurious for thousands of recipe ideas, tips, recipe ratings and user reviews.  Using your mobile you can also download the app which is helpful when shopping for required ingredients.

• Need somewhere to take visiting friends and family?
  • Every city/town or community generally has an event calendar with activities ranging from free ice skating sessions, artisan events, donation based garden and light displays, paid holiday concert listings and community theatre plays or performances.   A quick Google search with ‘holiday event calendar’ and the location you are looking for should assist you in finding easy, local outings to impress your visitors and add some interest to your holiday calendar.  For Toronto listings visit Toronto Event Calendar.

All the best to you and yours during this holiday season!

Here at the Imaginis office, the tree is a lit and the radio croons Christmas.  It’s a challenging time of year with increased workloads alongside bursting social calendars.  So to help us through (and give us that much needed energy boost), we’re snacking on our favourite holiday cookies.

So we bring you our baked gifts from the East…that’s King Street East.  We hope these recipes inspire you to take some time out in the kitchen.  We’d love to hear about your family favourites.  Who’s your office bakery king or queen?

Melanie – Anti-Kitchen Queen

Who does a go-to girl turn to for the best holiday cookies?  Mom, of course. These golden, buttery Graham Almond Squares are a family favourite in the Dowhaniuk household.  Light on ingredients and quick, these are perfect for busy people keen to inject a little homemade essence into their holiday traditions.

Graham Almond Squares

½ lb. butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sliced almonds

36 graham crackers

• Melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar. Cook & stir until sugar is melted & mixture is clear. Remove from heat. Stir in almonds.

• On large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, lay out graham crackers. Pour butter mixture over grahams, spreading evenly.

• Bake at 350F for 9 minutes. Cut each cracker in half. Let cool.

Sean – Disciple of the Jamie Oliver Revolution

A self confessed savoury cook and fan of Mr Oliver’s bold flavours, Sean’s first foray into baking had to be something that grabs the taste buds.  The addition of ancho chilli and cinnamon does just that, creating a warm, spicy chilli-chocolate glow.

Chocolate Crackled Cookies

12 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, divided

¾ cup flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ancho chile pepper

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

• Melt 8 oz of the chocolate as directed on package. Set aside. Coarsely chop remaining 4oz chocolate.

• Mix flour, cinnamon, ancho chile pepper, baking powder and salt in small bowl.

• Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.

• Add melted chocolate, beat until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chopped chocolate.

• Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 1 ½ inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

• Bake in preheated 375F oven for about 10 minutes or just until cookies are set and slightly cracked on top.

• Transfer cookies on parchment paper to wire rack; cool completely. Makes 3 ½ dozen.

Lisa – Baked Goods Guru

Our tummies shed a tear as Lisa heads off on maternity leave.  Our regular supplier of feather-light scones and chock-full chewy cookies will soon have another more important mouth to feed.  We make do instead, with her parting gift to us, the recipe for Chocolate Wafer Cookies from San Francisco’s Miette bakery. Perfect for an impromptu ice-cream sandwich or stacked between layers of flavoured whipped cream and chilled in the fridge for an ice-box cake. Even great on their own. Suppose we’d better get the cookie sheets out….

Chocolate Wafer Cookies

1¾ cups all purpose-flour

½ cup + 2 tbsps brut or natural unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ tsp kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar + extra for sprinkling

2 tbsps lightly packed light brown sugar

3 tbsps honey

• Sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl.  Set aside.

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, granulated and brown sugars, and honey and beat until fluffy – about 4 minutes.

• Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, beating just until combined after each.  Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 2 days.  You can also freeze the dough for up to 2 months.

• Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick.  Using a 3¼ inch round cookie cutter with a scalloped edge, cut out the chocolate wafers.  Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, placing the cookies about ½ inch apart.  Sprinkle each cookie with granulated sugar.  Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

• Gather up the dough scraps, re-roll, and cut out to make more cookies.  Bake as directed and let cool.  Store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.