Picture of the Week: Hard at Work

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Company, Marketing Musings, Pic of the Week

Here at Projectline, we’ve recently started a project to capture all the places we work and bring together our team around the world. Every weekday morning at 10:42 am, our team is invited to send in a picture of where they are, what they’re doing, or who they’re with. Each Friday, we’ll choose our favorite picture of the week and share its story here.

10:42 May 27, 2011, Bellevue, Working at the Drop-In Station

This week’s 10:42 photo was taken by Seattle-based Marketing Consultant, Kim Flanery-Rye (photo right). This is a scene you might see in one of our NW offices: folks camped out at the “touch down” spaces, coffee and bags abound; graphic designer Julia MacCracken speeding in the background; Larry Minor, our IT guy answering an impromptu question from Erin Brandon; Jessie Alan bringing new employee, Rich Coutee up to speed on a new project; and Matt Flynn, front and center in a state of concentration, oblivious to the camera catching his profile. Thanks Kim for documenting! (The sister photo to this one is one of our Seattle office, where you would only find our lone finance guy, Kevin Crowe — there are downsides to flexible work locations.)

Holistic Storytelling

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Content Development, Customer Evidence, Marketing Musings

This is the second installment of a two-part series on storytelling in marketing. The first post looked at empathy as a lens for better understanding and identifying with customer challenges. This second post examines the importance of taking a thoughtful approach in choosing the most appropriate medium for each marketing storytelling opportunity. We hope this series will spark continued discussion on this topic.

If you’re reading this blog, there is a pretty decent chance that you’ve given some thought to customer evidence at some point. Since I joined Projectline almost six months ago, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to customer evidence. I recently went on a case study video shoot and I became acutely aware of exactly what customer evidence is. At the most basic, it is storytelling—storytelling that shows the intersection of people, time, events, successes, failures, breakthroughs, and ideas.

At this video shoot, I saw one company who uses a product that helps their business. They were happy to share how they investigated competing products, the communications between companies, successful implementation, and what the product is doing for them today. What struck me was just how many different ways you could tell this story.

Watching the video shoot got me to thinking. We are living in a world of diverse multimedia. I’m currently writing this blog post on a train using my laptop. Within 20 feet of my seat are people consuming information in the following ways: book, Nintendo DS Lite, magazine, smartphone, computer, and Kindle. That is seven different ways in just half of one train car.

Creating a video was the best way to tell the story of the customer I visited. But could a blog post also have done it justice? Would text have conveyed all the right emotion and excitement that this customer showed on the video? Could a live tweeting with the customer have revealed some aspect of the story that the video missed?

Given all of the different ways people consume information, I think customer evidence needs to match those different ways step for step and get creative with how to tell these stories. Is there a place for videos? Yes. Is there a place for white papers? Again, yes. But we also need to start thinking in a more holistic manner about customer evidence. How can we not only harness new technologies for these stories, but also weave them into current usage patterns in a holistic way? We need to use everything we have at our disposal to tell the customer’s story.

Oh…the video shoot? It went great. We should get a fantastic video out of it.

Inc. Names Projectline Top Small Company

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News

Projectline has been named one of the nation’s top workplaces in Inc. Magazine and Winning Workplaces’ Top Small Company Workplaces competition—an annual contest that recognizes successful organizations with unique, exceptional cultures. One of only fifty companies awarded in the Small Company category, this recognition is a true honor for Projectline, whose owners are committed to maintaining a culturally vital company.

“These firms represent some of the finest privately held companies in the world,” states Bob LaPointe, president of Inc. “Their stories, appearing in the June issue of Inc., clearly demonstrate that taking an innovative approach to creating the right culture—one in which human capital is embedded in a company’s value proposition—can create real competitive leadership. Each of these Top Small Company Workplaces offers an environment in which people flourish and, as a result, profit follows.”

This sentiment echoes Projectline’s corporate ideology. “When David Jones, Anika Lehde, and I decided to go into business together, we talked about creating a company that employees liked working for,” says Projectline CEO Mike Kichline. “We achieved that, and it’s contributed hugely to our overall success.”

“Each of our employees, at every level of our organization, is encouraged to practice positive impact, as well as personal empowerment and growth,” says Vice President Anika Lehde. “Not only does this nurture our corporate culture, it’s evident in the work our teams produce for clients, so the benefits really come full circle.”

Projectline owners are excited about continuing to cultivate this unique corporate environment as the company expands its global reach. “In addition to our Seattle headquarters, we have offices in London, and we’re opening in Toronto next quarter,” says COO David Jones. “A key part of our expansion strategy is to promote the same principles and culture that have generated so much success here.”

Inc. and Winning Workplaces assembled a panel of experts in leadership and small to mid-sized business to select contest finalists. Top Small Companies were chosen based on metrics and qualitative assessments of the companies’ achievements in creating and sustaining holistically healthy work environments where people are valued as much as profit.

May 27, 2011: ETA comments from COO David Jones.

Picture of the Week: Happy Birthday to Erin!

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Company, Marketing Musings, Pic of the Week

Here at Projectline, we’ve recently started a project to capture all the places we work and bring together our team around the world. Every weekday morning at 10:42 am, our team is invited to send in a picture of where they are, what they’re doing, or who they’re with. Each Friday, we’ll choose our favorite picture of the week and share its story here.

10:42 May 19, 2011, Seattle, The Office Singing Happy Birthday to Erin Brandon

This Thursday, we incorporated a surprise. To celebrate the birthday of one of our Customer Engagement Consultants, Erin Brandon, we decided that on the count of three we would sing “Happy Birthday” instead of saying “cheese.” Of course, Erin was completely surprised. This picture captures the moment before we all started singing—you can see the anticipation in our faces (and Melissa Tindall holding a box with the birthday cake).

Holding the Door (A Short Film About Being Nice)

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Company, Marketing Musings

This is the first video in a series I’m creating to show the Projectline philosophy, attitude, and culture. I also wouldn’t mind showing off the acting chops of wonderful Projectline employees (and I’ll even try to slip in some humor).

We’ve all been there.

How long do you wait to hold the door open for somebody behind you? Are they far enough away so the door will easily close before they reach it, or are they at that distance where the door closes right at the very moment they reach it and you end up beating yourself up all day over it? Here’s how we do it around here:

Working and Playing at Projectline: The long and short of it

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Careers, Company, Marketing Musings

To celebrate being named one of the top 20 companies in Seattle Met magazine’s “The Best Places to Work…and Play” in Seattle, we thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A with our longest-term employee (our first employee) and our most recent hire (just in week three). So we asked Erica Hansen, Customer Engagement Marketing Division Director, and John Meaker, Marketing Campaign Desk Coordinator, the same questions.

Erica Hansen, Director of Customer Engagement

John Meaker, Marketing Campaign Desk Coordinator

How long have you worked at Projectline?

Erica Hansen: 6 fabulous years!!

John Meaker: On week 3!

What is your title and what do you do?

E.H. Customer Engagement Director. I have the pleasure of working on a variety of things associated with our Customer Engagement Marketing Practice-working daily with our awesome consultants, advising our clients, bringing in new business, and making every effort to keep livin’ the Projectline dream.

J. M. Campaign Desk Coordinator. As a Campaign Desk team member, I support a client marketing team that concentrates on Fortune 500 companies. Our support includes setup and tracking of their marketing campaigns so that they can effectively measure success.

What were your interviews like?

E.H. I met with Anika (co-owner) while at one of our client sites. I don’t remember our conversation, but I remember thinking that Anika was one of the savviest people I’d ever met. I was totally one of those people who wore a three piece (skirt) suit and was completely overdressed.

J.M. Interviews were always fun and friendly. I didn’t feel nervous, anxious, or stressed like I have Interviewing for other companies. They played out like long conversations about me, the company, and how those two might fit together, never an interrogation.

Why do you think you got the job?

E.H. I have no idea how I got the job…maybe the suit? Many people also know this story, but when I first met Mike Kichline (co-owner) he had been told I had a glass eye by a mutual friend of ours. He kept looking at me funny the whole time, trying to figure out which eye it was. (By the way, I don’t have one!)

J.M. I would like to think I was hired because of a combination of the right work experience and being a good personality fit with the team, but it probably also had a lot to do with being referred by another Projectliner and her following up with HR on my behalf.

How do you have a positive impact on your colleagues, our customers, and our community?

E.H. Great question! Colleagues: I think my colleagues have a positive impact on me. I love being in the presence of my co-workers-makes me happy! Customers: Probably accountability. Nothing puts a smile on your client’s face more than doing what you say you will. Community: Projectline volunteer events and donations to community organizations. Holding the monthly book club for Projectliners and FOPs (Friends of Projectline)! Increasing our collective marketing brainpower one book at a time.

J.M. I try to impact my colleagues by keeping an upbeat, humorous attitude and keeping a smile on my face. I am just beginning to impact our customers, as I have been mostly training so far. I try to stay green when possible by recycling and using mass transit. And I don’t J-walk.

What is one thing you know about Projectline that you think would be a surprise for others to learn?

E.H. Mike Kichline used to hand-deliver my paycheck to me in Redmond every payday.

J.M. I’m still just learning the basics; I don’t have any secret gems yet.

Why do you think we are one of the best companies to work for in the area?

E.H. Hands-down, the people are what make this place the most amazing. We have incredible leadership that starts with the owners and so many amazing benefits that keep us all happy-from an open work environment, green commuting benefits, soccer teams, book club, office snacks, office happy hour, incredible parties…. I could go on.

J.M. Because we don’t just care whether or not our colleagues do their jobs, we care whether they enjoy their jobs, and that trickles down into everything that happens here!

Confabulous Quotables

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Community, Content Strategy, Marketing Musings

This post is by Corey Mahoney. Corey’s experience includes front-end development, writing, and editing for websites as well as academic teaching and research. Her website is here.

I spent most of last week at Confab, America’s Premiere Content Strategy, Cake, and Bourbon Experience. By the time I got back to Seattle, my notebook, brain, and inbox were stuffed to bursting. Now that I’ve had the weekend to recover, I wanted to pull a few of my favorite quotes out of the chaos for sharing. These are the flashes of brilliance that were good enough—and short enough!— to make it into my notes intact.

“Content is what makes our businesses go — how can our businesses make our content go?” @halvorson

“Confused users never click.” @mappedblog

“The end product isn’t great content; the end product is a great thing.” @mulegirl

“It doesn’t matter what you call everybody — it only matters that you know what the work is very specifically, and that you have someone assigned to do it.” @mulegirl

“Your homepage is the least important page on your site.” @cperfetti

“When people get to your website, they have a need. You’re not starting the conversation — they are.” @ginnyredish

“Have realistic metrics that are tied to a strategy that makes sense.” @lucidplot