Client Spotlight: West Tennessee Hearing and Speech Center

After spending the early part of my career in nonprofits, I can say that I have a soft spot for them. When West Tennessee Hearing and Speech Center called, I knew I wanted to work with them. WTHSC works because everyone’s voice should be heard. This means helping people with hearing and communication. They work with a wide range of clients,from seniors to young children, and this is something we tried to capture in the video. Hearing aids, speech pathologists and communication devices are all around the center.

Sometimes getting ‘b’ roll for videos is easy, but because of the clinical nature of their work, it proved a little tricky. But the amazing staff and clients help make the process easier. The staff organized it so we were able to shoot the entire video in an afternoon! We also shot the video on site at WTHSC to help make the process easier and more comfortable for the clients and their families.

This video was created to help raise funds at their annual, Speaking of Art Fundraiser. That being said, if you want to support West Tennessee Hearing and Speech Center, you can do so here. Here is the video:

West Tennessee Hearing and Speech Fundraising Video from Kevin Adelsberger on Vimeo.

 

Mission Statements in Marketing

 

writing a good mission statement

 

Mission Statements are not something people usually think about. Traditionally mission statements are long complex paragraphs that you read during orientation at a new organization and forget about that afternoon (assuming your orientation was in the morning). This isn’t always the case but it has been in most places I have been apart of. That is, if your business/organization has a mission statement. I have worked with lots of clients for whom a mission statement has not even crossed their minds. I would propose that mission statements are super important for the organization and can become a really solid part of any marketing strategy.

Why are mission statements so important in marketing?

1.  Mission Statements ground the organization. A good mission statement helps you from chasing whatever might pop up along your path. Imagine you are an Italian restaurant but you just got a great offer to sell fajitas from our distributor. Fantastic price with a great margin. Do you think that could confuse your customers? A good mission statement will help you from diluting your brand by adding products and services that don’t fit. Imagine if a marketing company decided to start doing tree trimming. Would that affect your perception of that marketing company?

2. A well written mission statement is memorable. If you have written a mission statement well, you will be able to use it all the time. It will work its way into your speech and into your marketing. But it needs to be short and memorable. Anything more than a sentence is too much. Being memorable helps your employees focus on the work at hands and reminds them why they are there in the first place.

3. It captures the organization in a few words which helps convey it to strangers. Andy Stanley recently said at Leadercast that “people follow clarity”. If you are able to demonstrate to a client or a donor the clarity that you bring to the table, they will be more inclined to do business with you. A good mission statement becomes apart of your elevator pitch and helps all of your team members share the same info about the organization helping you create a more solid brand.

Examples of mission statements:

Three mission statements I have had a heavy hand in helping write and that I think follow the model above:

1. The Star Center. The Star Center’s mission is to help any person with any disability to realize their potential.

2. Our Jackson Home: The mission of Our Jackson Home is to tell the stories of the people and the city that we all love.

3. Adelsberger Marketing: The mission of Adelsberger Marketing is to help businesses communicate with their current and potential customers.

Like a logo and a website, I think mission statements are bedrocks of any good marketing plan. Let’s lead our employees and customers with clarity!

Social Media Win or Fail: TSFF

This month’s social media win or fail is a total win for the Toronto Silent Film Festival. Though this is somewhat like a previous win (see a previous win here) it really takes it in a new direction.

 

The promoters of the Toronto Silent Film Festival, created this escape room for you to explore digitally. Each square is a video that shows your character interacting with elements in the room. Excellently executed and such a great tool to bring awareness to your brand. Can you find your way out?

I can’t help you if….

billhillinthecity

A message I start meetings with most potential clients is: “I can’t help you if you don’t have a good product.” Marketing cannot help a stone roll up hill but can help a stone roll downhill twice as fast.

You should not hire a marketing person if you product and service is terrible. Because it will be a negative return on investment. There maybe some short term gains but it will be causing medium and long term losses. Why is that? Because people talk. Word of mouth can be the best and worst form of advertising.

Word of mouth happens when you have a good product and good service. People like it so they tell others. That endorsement from a friend or family member carries more weight than most any medium of advertising has ever carried. But the exact opposite is true as well.

If someone has a bad experience they will tell their family or friends. Those family and friends are probably going to trust that person’s experience.

If customers are having a bad experience and you add some marketing into the mix, more people will come. More people coming and having a bad experience means more people talking bad about your business. This will end up you costing more than it makes you and it could be enough to close a business.

But if you have a bad product and you know it, you have an opportunity to start fixing it before it is too late. Knowing is half the battle. The other half is caring enough to do something about it. Don’t miss an opportunity to make a stark raving fan!