Change is definitely good!

After 18 years in our River North office space, we moved one block to our new River North office space.  One block didn’t seem like a big move, but it felt like we moved cross-country.  It wasn’t so much the packing, although we had way too much paper in every drawer we opened, but it was all the changes that come along with a new space and address.  The end result was definitely worth it.

We’re settled into a brand new space with everything bright and shiny, and all new equipment.  Our team worked really hard to make the change happen, and we all love the new space.  I guess our enthusiasm was contagious because we’ve been busier than we were before the move.  The changes made us re-evaluate how we work, how much paper we use (our biggest learning), and how we interact now that our work space is smaller and we’re all “closer” than ever before.

  

I have to say that I was reluctant to move and to change anything about how we were doing business – we were comfortable.  But, what I recognized is that the best way to make new things happen, and to generate new business and new ways of thinking about how we do business, is to change.  We started by changing our environment, and along the way, changed how we were viewing generating new business from both current and prospective clients.

Clients want to do business with teams who are current, motivated and feeling great about themselves and their agency.  It reflects in the work we do, and we all benefit in the end.  So, just when you think that making that change is too much work and not necessary…think again.  Our lives and the marketplace are moving more rapidly every day, and to keep up, we have to move faster.  This often involves change…and, it’s good!

One of my favorite quotes on change…”If we don’t change, we don’t grow.  If we don’t grow, we are not really living.” – Gail Sheehy

We're Hiring: Traffic Coordinator

UPDATE: This position has been filled. Thanks to all the people who applied.

Please share if you know anyone looking for a job that meets these requirements. Thanks so much!

Traffic Coordinator  Job Description

Eire Direct, a boutique marketing agency in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, is currently seeking a motivated individual who enjoys a flexible and creative atmosphere. The traffic coordinator will be an integral part of the creative and production team. From onset of all new creative projects through finalized product to production, candidate should be a great team player and have strong organizational and time management skills.  Eye for detail a must.  Job responsibilities include:

•  Assist creative director and production supervisor in daily management of creative projects
•  Manage all traffic functions between creative and account service
•  Assist art directors in prioritizing daily workloads
•  Develop/manage all creative schedules on a project-by-project basis
•  Proofread all rounds of creative changes, with attention to typos, layout changes,
consistency of message, etc.
•  Work with account service team to communicate layout/type changes and requests back to creative team
•  Interpret client/account service suggestions, make creative recommendations
•  Ability to handle ongoing changes within tight deadlines
•  Work with account service to prioritize creative workload when necessary
•  Work with production supervisor to quote print jobs, review proofs, attend press OKs as needed
•  Work with production supervisor to learn postal regulations and requirements
•  Attend all creative input meetings
•  Attend all weekly status meetings
•  Maintain creative/production project files
•  Maintain sample files
•  Simple working knowledge of Adobe creative suite software a plus

Experience needed:  1+ years of experience in marketing or advertising coordinator position, or applicable project management role.  Competitive benefits package.

To apply, please provide cover letter and resume to jobs@eiredirect.com.

BizBash Social Media Workshop

On Wednesday we went to BizBash IdeaFest in Chicago and participated in a workshop organized by @IanSohn from Ogilvy & Mather on Social Media for Event Marketing. Ian’s presentation was Event-specific, but his ideas could also be implemented into any marketing plan. We discussed the importance of including social media – not as a tag-a-long after-thought to the overall effort – but having it's own agenda and specific purpose. Social media can be looked at as a way to ignite an entire campaign, promotion or event. It stretches the reach to include a larger audience… including virtual attendees, consumers, etc. through "word of mouth". These were my favorite take-aways:

PRE (Event, Campaign, Promotion)

– Establish a calendar – then tear it up

This point really resonated with me. I think it's great to have a plan but it takes away the essence of the vehicle to know what you're going to say ahead of time. We don't need to tweet just to tweet – it's better to be moved to. It can be what makes your tweet ring true – that something you saw or heard or experienced is something worth sharing. Basically, have a plan but be prepared that you probably won't follow it.

DURING

– 80/20 rule: Don't be boring

I like having rules to follow and this 80/20 breakdown is a great rule of thumb. 80% of your content should be relevant information, what's happening, what's engaging you, what you're interested in (and seeing and doing and hearing). Save the other 20% for self or brand promotion. Also, the best content is serendipitous – not planned!

POST

– Generate an Impact Report: How many tweets, re-tweets, favorites, shares, comments, likes, uploads etc.

To me, one of the best things about social media is the ability to track activity. Simply by including a #hashtag, we can search for content and record the results. How many people are interacting with Eire Direct? Our clients? Our creative??? What are they saying? These answers are so easy to collect – they are right there at your fingertips.

The main thing, you need a plan. It can and should be simple. It should allow people to exercise their own creativity and experience – but with a little added direction and forethought. Social media efforts can be everyone's job, or no one's job – so be clear about your objective and assign responsibilities accordingly.