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Author: Chris Talbert

How Do You Make Knox? Join Us at the Maker City Summit

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Here at Designsensory, we’re dedicated to our craft—and to our city. Knoxville has become a major hub for the maker community, with talented craftspeople in every corner of the city. When we hit our 15th anniversary and began exploring opportunities to reinvest in our community, we sat down with members of the City of Knoxville Mayor’s Maker Council and its Maker City Summit leadership and knew that we were on the right track.

We’re proud to support the Maker City Summit, a gathering of Knoxville’s talented makers. Assisting in the organization’s work has been incredibly rewarding for our team, and we look forward to sharing some of that work with you all in the future. Our creative director Joseph Nother will also take the stage to discuss how independent makers can build their own brand. For more details about the event, check out the release below or visit makeknox.com, and we hope to see you there! 

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Knoxville’s craftspeople, artisans and small-scale manufacturers will gather Tuesday, Sept. 19, for the Maker City Summit 2017 at Mill and Mine downtown. The daylong conference will offer seminars and panel discussions centered on ways to grow small businesses. Attendees also will have opportunities to meet one-on-one with experts in marketing, branding, accounting and other fields relevant to entrepreneurs.

“Knoxville has always been a city of makers of arts and crafts and industry,” said Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero. “We make everything from smart transportation technology to bread and beer and a lot of music. It’s great to have the Maker City Summit to celebrate and energize our maker culture!”

The summit is the successor to last September’s gatherings on entrepreneurship and Etsy businesses.

“Last year’s event brought together nearly 400 crafters, artists, developers, small-scale manufacturers, city officials and entrepreneurs for a day of dialogue about how to create a stronger maker community,” said Jim Biggs, executive director of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center. “This year’s Maker City Summit looks to build on that success and help makers in our region build businesses, tap into resources and, most importantly, connect with each other to turn Knoxville into THE place to make in Tennessee.”

The goals of the summit are to help creative entrepreneurs make an independent living doing what they love, connect with fellow small business people, and grow their personal brands and businesses. Workshop topics include how to set goals that stick, brand your business and product, achieve strategic and sustainable growth, drive traffic and use social media.

An array of experts in marketing and social media, as well as successful local entrepreneurs, will lead the discussions. They include social media guru and author Mark Schaefer, real estate consultant Ilana Preuss of Recast City, online coach Steph Crowder of Fizzle.co, and Isabella Diaz of Etsy.

Registration is $35, which includes lunch and a t-shirt. Participants also may sign up in advance for free 15-minute consultations with summit experts.

The summit is presented by the City of Knoxville Mayor’s Maker Council in partnership with the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, Launch TN, Etsy, Fizzle and Nation of Makers. It is sponsored by Pilot Flying J.

A complete schedule of programs, plus more on presenters and the Maker City initiative may be found at makeknox.com.


Event photos provided by Shawn Poynter Photography. See more at shawnpoynter.com.

SEO 101: Off-Page SEO

Posted on by Chris Talbert

On-page SEO is (or should be) the first step in drawing people to your website. But what about off-page SEO? For most people, this term is synonymous with link building. However, off-page SEO goes much deeper than that—it’s all about improving your site’s reputation through links, content and relationships. Utilizing off-page SEO will eventually lead to an increase in brand mentions, links, traffic and conversions. So let’s dive into some of the best strategies for building up your off-page SEO.

Know and interact with your audience.

You’ve heard it time and time again—know your target market. When it comes to building your internet reputation, understanding your audience is crucial. Where do they spend their time? Who are their biggest influencers? Once you answer these questions, it’s time to become part of the conversation.

Contribute to forums and discussions, be responsive on social media, build relationships with online influencers. But be careful, you should always be adding value. Don’t use social media or online forums as just a tool for linking to your website. Be an active and engaging contributor.

Consider guest blogging.

Guest blogging has gotten a bad rap in recent years. The misconception that “off-page SEO is just link building” led to a flood of spammy guest blogs around the internet. But done correctly, guest blogging can be a powerful tool for off-page SEO.

So how do you guest blog correctly?

First, don’t look at guest blogging as an easy way to gain links. Look at it as a mutually beneficial relationship. Your goal as a guest blogger should be to build brand authority and be seen as an industry expert (while increasing brand mentions and yes, links too). In turn, your contributions should add a fresh perspective to the blog, and its readers should gain valuable knowledge.

Create link-worthy content and build online relationships.

In the SEO world, quality matters. Links to your site need to be from reputable sources (and trust me, Google can tell). Because of this, it’s more important than ever to create compelling content to which people wantto share and link. Get to know relevant bloggers and influencers, and build actual relationships with them. Become an expert in your industry, and share that expertise with others. In short, earn your links!

Still wondering how to draw links to your site? Check out Hubspot’s link-building best practices.

Sure, but is my hard work paying off?

As we all know, building a good reputation doesn’t happen overnight and neither does site optimization. To get a clearer picture of the status of your off-page SEO efforts, you can use tools like Moz’s Open Site Explorer to measure inbound links, anchor text and top pages. Overall, just remember—SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.

Think you need help optimizing your site or measuring your SEO effectiveness? Contact us!

 

5 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

Posted on by Chris Talbert

If you work in content creation, be it as a copywriter, social media manager, blogger, public relations practitioner—generally, if you have to touch a keyboard and put together coherent thoughts, you’ve experienced writer’s block. It’s the most common symptom of a stressed-out writer. But don’t get discouraged! Using these five methods, you can cure your writer’s block and get the words flowing.

Freewrite or brainstorm.

Writer’s block is most easily solved by simply writing! Write anything. Sit yourself down for ten minutes and jot down whatever comes to mind when thinking about your topic, and don’t stop until your time is up. If you have to write down “blah, blah” over and over again, so be it! Free yourself from formatting, sentence construction and even logic. Freewriting is a great way to uncover ideas and get your words out.

Get moving.

One of the most popular ways of curing writer’s block is to get some fresh air and exercise. Go for a walk, practice “desk yoga” or turn up the music and dance around—whatever gets you moving. When you get your body flowing, your mind follows suit. Exercise will help you relax and tear down the mental barriers.

Talk it out.

Talking through your ideas out loud will help you organize your thoughts. Grab a coworker or call a friend and talk about your topic. Speaking is more natural than writing and you will likely be more relaxed when discussing your topic with a friend. A conversation can lead to questions that spark more ideas. You could even record yourself and listen back to the audio for a quick reminder.

Get a change of scenery.

Have you been sitting at your desk trying to fight off your writer’s block? Write somewhere else. Head out to a park, a coffee shop or anywhere else you can go to get away from your desk. If you have the means, go travelling and find inspiration in a new city.

Start anywhere.

Starting at the beginning can create a mental blockade and need for perfection. Pick a point that you know well and start from there. Leave the introduction for later and focus on getting your ideas down on paper. Once you have the bulk of the content down, you will have a clearer idea of your purpose and can smooth out the details. Even if you find 

The biggest causes of writer’s block are a need for perfection coupled with stress. Start relaxing and break down your mental blockades. Don’t get discouraged—writer’s block can be easily overcome. But of course, Designsensory’s team of writers can also help.

Now, stop reading this and go write!


3 Reasons to Launch a Mastered Microsite

Posted on by Chris Talbert

You’ve just been hit with the need to create a new awareness campaign for your brand. Fast forward to the part where you’ve come up with a killer campaign strategy, concept, name and execution plan. There’s still something missing; a key piece of the campaign puzzle.

Where are you directing traffic?

Why not your brand’s website? You do want your main website to introduce your brand and allow customers to interact with it directly. However, in certain situations, you need a modifier to help a campaign or blog effort move forward without distraction. Sometimes, you just need a time-sensitive solution. Cue the microsite.

Microsites are used when information needs its own space outside of your main website—because, let’s be honest, nobody wants a cluttered house. Metaphorically, of course. If you’re still not convinced, here are some hows and whys:

They’re Focused
As a writer, it’s hard for me to say that people don’t want to read. (Quite frankly, I disagree). But what I do believe is happening, is excessive amounts of content are flooding the airways. The best way to cut through the clutter is to grab attention quickly, which most people equate with short-form copy. The reality is, we need focused content. Microsites deliver just that. Not only are they smaller in size than your typical website, they have specific content that relates to specific subject matter.

A great example of a microsite, which is rich in its content and design but is still a single, focused scrolling page, is the Westworld visitor page. The hit TV show built upon its canon and gave fans highly shareable content with this gem.

They’re Engaging
The functionality of a microsite can be much more engaging to existing customers. Instead of displaying generic content (images, copy, etc.), you can provide the focused content, like I mentioned above, in unique formats like VR or interactive video. United Airlines – Polaris Business Class has an entire microsite dedicated to its seating and comfort options. Users can explore several interactive components to get a feel for the seats and amenities. Pretty cool, amirite? 

They’re Beautiful (or should be)
Well-thought-out design is the difference between good and bad interaction. A microsite might create the right timing for you to explore a slightly different look and feel for a campaign. Allow designers to explore several options for you to choose from, and then watch your plan come to fruition. A few years back, we created successful, seasonal microsites for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Get a glimpse of the former spring microsite in all (or, at least some) of its glory, and check out the former Make Summer Last campaign. They were equal parts beautiful and functional.

If you need a microsite, research some of the most popular ones around—Google knows—and bring your ideas to your agency of record. Let us do the heavy work for you. That’s why we’re here.

Oh, one more thing: Don’t forsake your main website. Microsites should complement them, not negate them. Best of luck!

A Designsensory Celebration: People, Projects and Parties

Posted on by Chris Talbert

Because we’re proud of our people and work, and want to acknowledge our team whenever we can, we like these agency round-up pieces—where we share in the good news with friends and clients. Buckle up, we’ve got more than a few updates for you since our last check-in.

Top Honors in Public Relations
Every year, the Volunteer Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recognizes the hard work of its members with the V awards. Designsensory was recognized with four wins in the 2017 V Awards: 

  • PetSafe Brand®: Bark For Your Park 2016 Campaign—Excellence
  • STEM Scouts: 2016 Social Media Campaign—Quality
  • YWCA Knoxville GameChangers: “I’m A GameChanger” Campaign—Merit
  • Isha Institute of Inner-Sciences: Fall 2016 Campaign—Merit 

New Websites and Old Friends
A loveable addition to the DS website family, Brewsters Bark & Bed was a fun and furry project; Champion Physical Therapy needed an engaging, inspiring way to showcase its growing family of clinics in Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky; we’ve updated an old friend with the bigger and better Pomona Swap Meet; And we updated the site for Forensic Anthropology Consulting Services, Inc. with a new, responsive design.

Furthering our mission to showcase the talent and creative opportunity in the great state of Tennessee, we launched a new directory for creative talent in the state of Tennessee for the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, createtn.com, and joined it with its current site tnentertainment.com, which had a fresh reskin. Our partner, Popfizz, provided some great videos for these, too. Check that playlist out.

More Faces in Familiar Spaces
The last couple of months brought more members to the Designsensory work family! Please join us in welcoming senior media buyer/planner Jessica Johnson, front-end developer Phil Tune and project management assistant Rebekah Jackson. We’ve also welcomed Sam Yakowenko, PR & Social Media Intern, and Ethan Kearn, Production Assistant Intern. Phoebe Spooner, who served a marketing coordinator intern, has also joined us full-time in the same position since her graduation in late May.

The DSers Went Down to Georgia
Joseph Nother, Lindsay Miller, Mary Blair, Taylor Walters and Matt Montgomery headed south to Augusta to scout locations and collect new photography for our client, Augusta Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. Stayed tuned for exciting creative in the future.

Pinewood and the Goose
Designsensory officially turned 15 last year. To celebrate and kick off the next era of creativity, collaboration and general fun, we did what all professional workplaces do: we went bowling! After knocking down some pins, we enjoyed a delectable meal at one of downtown Knoxville’s iconic gastronomic hot spots, The Crown and Goose. Here’s to another 15 years, DS! Just for fun, here are some more snaps from the night.

10 Things I Try Not to Say as a New PR Professional

Posted on by Chris Talbert

By Sarah Lutz, PR and Social Media Intern

It happens to almost everyone. You’re in a meeting or talking with your coworkers and all of a sudden you hear it: the stereotypical jargon. You’re not quite sure what it means, but you’ve heard it enough to know you don’t really need to know the meaning.

Or maybe even—*gasp*—you are the one using the aforementioned lingo! I know I’ve made this mistake a time or two (or twenty).

You can’t stop others from dropping unnecessary jargon, but you can help yourself. Read on to find out which words to leave out of your lexicon.

Really, Anything that Ends with “-ize”: Let’s emphasize that we need to recognize the need to prioritize to not utilize the generalized words ending with “-ize” that do not harmonize, customize or optimize a message, nor capitalize on the creative visualizations of a team meant for strategizing … and that’s just to summarize my agonized feelings.

Outside the Box/Out of the Box: Whomever uses this word probably hasn’t thought outside the box since they suggested your office go to restaurant *insert swanky new restaurant name here* for lunch instead of the usual workplace go-to.

Innovation/Innovative: The shiny and new idea that probably isn’t that shiny or new.

Effective/Effectiveness: The thesaurus was literally made to make your words be more effective (*inset* productive, powerful, compelling, direct, efficient, etc.).

Leading: Using the word “leading” is the leading cause of office eyerolls.

Touch Base: Somehow, whenever these words are uttered, we never seem to actually “touch base.” Maybe by saying let’s talk about the concept or strategy, it’ll actually get done.

Circle Back: Same as “touch base.” How about we talk now instead of circling back to it?

Impact: A term used when people are unsure if they should use effect or affect. Hint: The impact of this word will negatively impact people’s response.

Engage: Let’s hear less about how you need to engage your audience and more about how you plan to actually do so.

Going Forward: We’re talking about the future, right?

Well, going forward, at least we can be sure the future may hold more overused jargon, but it won’t be coming from me!

Want to dive deeper? Check out these other articles on the subject:

These Popular Tools Can Help Anyone Create Compelling Social Content

Posted on by Chris Talbert

By Sarah Lutz, PR & Social Media Intern

A quality graphic can catch the reader’s eye in a way that writing alone cannot. A graphic can differentiate your social post or blog from the thousands of other things competing for a customer’s attention.

But what if you don’t have a graphic designer? And what if you’ve never touched Photoshop before? Never fear! There are many free or low-cost platforms out there that will give you that “fresh Photoshop feel” without the photoshop fails.

In Photoshop’s defense, however, if you’re looking to simply edit or correct photos, Photoshop Express is the online-only version of the platform with paid add-ons and has a handful of the same functions. The next step up is Photoshop Elements, which, again, has a reduced list of offerings from the full-fledged Photoshop CS but for a drastically reduced price. Photoshop Elements also prefers to automate many of the function it offers, as the tool targets the average user.

Another option within the Adobe family is Adobe Express, a free design platform that was created with non-designers in mind. Using Express, you can make social graphics, “web stories” and animated videos.

 

Moving along, you may have heard of the next two tools. Canva is a design website that was created by a professor after she realized her students were struggling to learn the basics of design. She wanted to make a program that would create quality graphics, no matter the skill level of the user. It’s free to sign up and there are free and purchasable design elements and layouts. 

DesignBold is a graphic editing tool similar to Canva in both user interface and capabilities. It was created to simplify the process of design work, without having to simplify the quality of the graphic. The initial signup is free, but if you want access to unlimited storage, added templates and more, you can purchase the pro package.


Giphy is the largest repository of GIFs on the internet, powers Twitter’s GIF search and is the preferred GIF source for Facebook. But did you know the platform also has a handful of tools to help you create GIFs in a jiff? Giphy is a lot more “trend focused,” aiding its users with popular suggestions on content and format. There is a Giphy app and the Giphy Capture tool, which helps you to quickly record from your computer screen and create a GIF.

Pixlr is a free browser-based photo editing app (you can buy the pro version with advanced tools for $1.99/month or $14.99/year). It’s similar to Photoshop in terms of the tools provided, but considerably less polished and powerful. So if you need to color correct or reduce red eye, this could be your new favorite go-to. 

Think you need something more than these apps can offer? Contact us today. Our team is happy to discuss any of your social media needs.

April at Designsensory: Major Website Launches, Experiential Marketing and More

Posted on by Chris Talbert

With new sites launched, fresh creative on the way and fun projects under our belt, the Designsensory crew has been engaged in a wealth of different work over the last month or so.

Lots of Launches
One of our bigger projects to date has been developing an intricate portal to manage the operations and activities of the entire USA Fencing association, thanks in no small part to our entire tech team. Our redesign of the front end will come soon, but, until then, you can check out a few of the other major sites we’ve finalized recently.

Kaitlin Pawl, Justin Gibson and Brayan Zavala helped us welcome another member to the Outward Bound School family. Voyageur Outward Bound School, affectionately called VOBS at the office, makes the third regional school we’ve built alongside the Outward Bound USA website.

Tackling another big site, Matt Montgomery joined forces with Michael Pryfogle, Brandon Storz and TJ Buckner to create the Boy Scouts of America Connecticut Rivers Council website.

Finally, as we continue to build our portfolio of Shopify sites, smartwear apparel company IntelliSkin recently joined the Designsensory family.

Celebrating Our Four-Legged Friends
Outside of digital launches, Zoo Knoxville kicked off the first portion of its multi-year expansion—the Boyd Family Asian Trek—with the opening of Tiger Forest earlier this month. As part of Designsensory’s partnership with the Zoo, we conceptualized, designed and co-built an experiential marketing prop for a bit of fun promotion.

The prop—a “tiger crate” with motion sensors that trigger a loud, pre-recorded roar—could be seen at the Zoo and in the Regal Pinnacle lobby. Michael and Brandon Rochelle flexed their technical abilities for the internal build (tiger roars in the corner office led to jumpscares in the hallways and gave way to laughs all around).

 

 

We made a roaring tiger crate for Zoo Knoxville. Wonder where it’s headed? #DareToComeCloser ðŸ…

A post shared by Designsensory (@ds_moments) onApr 21, 2017 at 8:46am PDT


However, on May 6th, you might hear less roaring and more barking from our staff, as longtime Designsensory client PetSafe® Brand celebrates the first National Dog Park Day. Held in conjunction with the brand’s annual charitable giving initiative, Bark for Your Park™, PetSafe Brand will be giving away $275,000 to communities around the country to build, restore and maintain dog parks.

Hats off to Josh Loebner who, between speaking in New York at Campaign Live’s I&C Conference and teaching gigs at the University of Tennessee and King University, came up with the event. You may have also seen Josh speak at the Southeast Tourism Society Spring Symposium, which was held here in Knoxville.

Pins and Ribbons
Speaking of STS, Mary Blair and Samantha Smoak have their nose to the grindstone on a number of PR initiatives. The two lead a popular contest featuring pins from Designsensory’s tourism clients at the symposium. But their collection extends beyond pins to a number of tourism initiatives, including facilitation of the Roane Alliance’s “Soak In Roane” campaign, assisting in bringing the tastemaking general store White’s Mercantile to Wilson, Arkansas, and gearing up for Visit Augusta’s new campaign with custom photography and video.

It’s good to know we can also rest and recharge close to home at Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union’s new Solar Z in Turkey Creek. Samantha helped spread the word about Tennessee’s first public solar powered charging station—expect many more ribbon-cuttings in their future.

Been batting ideas for project like these around your office? We can help. We’d love to hear from you.


5 Tips For a Successful Facebook Live

Posted on by Chris Talbert

By Sarah Lutz,
Spring 2017 PR & Social Media Intern 

Since the release of Facebook Live video almost a year ago, it has become a viable and widely used means to connect with followers. If you are curious about Facebook Live being a good fit for your organization or brand, read our blog, “How and Why of Facebook Live.”

Provided you already know you want to join the Facebook Live community but don’t want to be just another user—and you’d rather use Facebook Live to its full potential—then you’ve come to the right place! Read on to become a Facebook Live standout.

Prepare before going live

Once you go live, everything in the broadcast is open for the public to see. To ensure your Facebook Live goes seamlessly, always practice and prepare by:

  • Choosing a location with quality lighting
  • Testing sound quality and background noise
  • Checking your lighting quality
  • Double-checking your internet connection
  • Preparing a discussion outline

Promote your live video

The goal is to reach and interact with as many people as possible. To expand your reach, inform your followers about the live video ahead of time, and ask your viewers to subscribe to your live videos. Also, before going live, write an attention-drawing post for your video.

Maximize live broadcast

While live, you’ll want to personalize your video as much as possible. Make your viewers feel like part of the broadcast by responding to their comments and questions in real time as much as possible, and personalize the experience by using their names. To reach more people, broadcast for longer periods of time and keep your viewers engaged.

Finish strong

Your ending of the broadcast should be as seamless as your beginning. To ensure people know you are signing-off, use a closing line that gives your viewers a call-to-action. The CTA can be about something mentioned in your broadcast or a reminder to subscribe to your live videos. Once the broadcast is complete, edit your now-archived Facebook Live video. For more information on how to edit completed Facebook Live videos, check out Facebook Live: What Marketers Need to Know.

Go live often

The more often you go live, the greater chance you have of increasing your reach and number of viewers!

Still not sure if you’re ready to face Facebook Live alone? No worries! We’d love to help your brand integrate Facebook Live into its marketing efforts. Contact us if you have any questions or want to know more about our process, services or work.