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KCB , from page 5

also seen an increase in employee engagement and com- munity involvement and received recognition from exter- nal organizations for their sustainable business practices. Since launching the networking training series, employ- ees are collaborating with marketing and human resourc- es more, so the teams are able to support their efforts more effectively. They have seen an increase in participa- tion on LinkedIn, too. “With a more confident and strategic approach to net- working, they are beginning to build their personal brand, the brand of the firm, and maximize opportunities for business development and recruiting,” Fowler says. The main purpose of the sustainability report and net- working sessions is to build authentic and effective meth- ods of communication. The benefit to KCB is better re- lationships with clients, prospects, employees, and the community. “This supports the sustainability and longevity of our firm,” Fowler says.

KCB’s internal marketing campaign.

❚ ❚ Attention to detail. Proofread, proof- read, proofread! This applies to both the Marketing Excellence Award submission materials and the campaign itself. ❚ ❚ Results. The most important thing about a marketing campaign is that it achieves an objective. A winning Marketing Excel- lence Award submission must demon- strate success, which can be almost any- thing as long as it can be recorded. A few good measures of results include quotes, emails, repeat work, additional work gained for existing clients, email open- rates, distribution numbers, click rates, number of shares, number of views, press mentions, interactions, “likes,” social me- dia audience growth, names added, and the list goes on. Whatever success means to your campaign, it’s important to find a way to measure it and be able to explain it in the submission. Know what you want to achieve and set a goal. Winning campaigns didn’t need: ❚ ❚ Lots of funding ❚ ❚ Tons of components/to be complicated. I hope you enjoy and are inspired by these winning campaigns. Marketing Excellence winners are highlighted throughout the year in THE ZWEIG LETTER’s “What’s Working” feature, so be on the lookout for more in-depth insights into how your peers are taking their marketing to new heights. CHRISTINA ZWEIG is a Zweig Group marketing and management consultant. Contact her at christinaz@zweiggroup.com . CHRISTINA ZWEIG , from page 6

WESTWOOD , from page 7

Online marketing campaign For Westwood, online marketing is about demonstrating competency and culture. Prospective clients and employees hear about Westwood and then visit its website and social channels. “Since our recent refresh, we often hear ‘Hey, this looks good. These folks must know what they are do- ing.’ Online marketing is our best opportunity to reach a broad target audience, so we need to make sure that we strategically demonstrate our depth of expertise and experi- ence, and offer a glimpse of our cul- ture and workplace benefits,” Mc- Donough says. The new site is clean, robust, dynam- ic, and mobile-responsive. “By simplifying how online visitors experience our complex business model through our professionals, projects, and social channels, we’ve eliminated the noise and created a more effective online strategy,” she says. MARKETING SUPPORTS GROWTH SPURT. McDonough says that these market- ing efforts have helped the firm to clarify its value-proposition and to redefine its organization. Westwood has gone through several organiza- tional changes and has added new

Westwood’s special event marketing

markets, office locations, and top in- dustry professionals to its team. “As a result, we’ve experienced a substantial growth spurt,” she says. “The strategic marketing campaigns launched in December 2014 gave us a symbolic event in Westwood’s his- tory, which continues to help drive us forward. Our brand refresh re-ener- gized the company.” The Westwood team now spends less time looking back or worrying about alignment in their marketing com- munications. “With fresh online analytics and en- hanced CRM tools, Westwood can be more strategic and effective in achiev- ing our business goals,” McDonough says. “It has been an important sym- bol to our clients to see that we have gone through a substantial and suc- cessful transformation.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 17, 2015, ISSUE 1116

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