#65 Consolidate & promote your social media with apps like extendr & card.ly by using as links in email signatures, website or other networks

One of the best aspects of social media is the sheer amount of options you have. But, at the same time, it can also be the most overwhelming. How can you promote your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blog, etc. all in one place? Should you? I’ve found that our clients and friends want to connect with us in various ways, but was having trouble finding a good way to consolidate our web footprint.

That is when we found Joseph Rueter’s extendr product. We have used extendr as a corporate wide email signature promoting our social media footprint and other sites. It has been great to give clients access to all of our networks in one simple spot. (We also have a version just for our websites.) Another interesting idea is the online business card. I have not used it as much yet, but check out card.ly. Although it seems a little limited right now, it’s a nice, simple set up. We put a quick one together here.

So if you want to simplify your promotion of the various sites you are on and have a more robust email signature, consider using something like extendr and card.ly to make that easier. Any other options out there? How do you promote your sites now?

I admit it. When first introduced to Twitter I quickly passed it up because it was hard for me to find value. I thought it was just another way to communicate your status like “just had pizza for lunch” …. and what is the value in that? However, after much debate, I forced myself to tweet, and use Twitter until I understood exactly what was happening. That was 2,000 tweets and about 600 followers ago… Now I get it. I can easily point out the value to coworkers, friends, and most importantly clients. In the past 3 months Twitter has seen incredible growth and it is not just because @Oprah joined. There is an incredible number of businesses, media outlets, brands and peers out there sharing much more than what they just ate for lunch and the coolest part it is in real-time. Let me share a great example:

While out at a very important meeting the other day I had an unfortunate accident. There I am sitting in the boardroom of a large financial institution as my favorite Sharpie Pen leaks all over my hand… I frantically try to start wiping it off on my Moleskine trying not to make a scene and interrupt the presentation. My hand turns black and my pants catch a bit of permanent ink but I manage to stay unnoticed. Shortly after the meeting I tweeted @sharpiesusan, the head of Social Media at Sanford, about my situation including a picture of the damage. WIthin 24 hours I had a response from her and a person from customer relations will be contacting me. WOW. All of this in the matter of a few hours. What a great way to control brand perception and create word of mouth advocates for your product, all through Twitter.

I have multiple other stories from a personal thank you from Tony Hsieh for ordering shoes through Zappos.com to interacting with the Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks).

If you have not started to tweet you should. Below are some tips for things you can tweet if you are new to Twitter.

@ / # - Twitter is a great way to participate in realtime conversations about current events, industry news, and everyday banter. You can reply to users with the (@) like - @DesignSobriety or follow conversations by using a hashtag (#) like #followfriday. Keeping your eye out for tweets to respond to and hashtags you can participate in will help grow your network. Most importantly you can start your own hashtag for conversations your would like to track. Check out the most popular hashtags here.

Pic - Showing off pictures from live events, interesting parts of your day, where you are will be interesting to your followers but also act as a chronicle of your events. It is fun to look back at past tweets & pictures.

Tip - Twitter is a great way to share some quick tips about something your doing, whether it is work related, or about a hobby people will find value all in 140 characters.

Links - Where do you find information? ideas? news stories? Share the links that you are reading.

Review - This might be a quick review of an article, a book or a news story. You could include a picture.

Thought - This can be anything - Like that pizza your eating for dinner.

Reading/Watching - Suggestions for your followers on what to read and watch - magazine articles, blogs, books, TV shows, movies, and TED Talks are a couple options.

Suggestion - This might be a great restaurant, vacation spot, or other consumer related decision.

More Links For Twitter Help:

Mashable Guides to Twitter

Twitter For Business

#64 Think about ways you can connect your clients with each other. There are some great opportunities for you to create deeper relationships.

We all feel good when someone recommends us to a potential client (and even better when it happens to be an ideal client or a great connection). But have you ever stopped to think about yourself as the connector? Consider your vendors and clients. Do you have one that can help another out? Perhaps their products and services will be mutually beneficial, helping them become more efficient or successful. Maybe it won’t work, but it could be within your power to create a strong and lasting partnership.

Take some time and think about how utilizing your network can benefit your clients. Don’t expect anything in return, but more often than not the result is a stronger relationship that will reap much more than you can imagine in the end. Whether it’s through email, LinkedIn, coffee, hosting a lunch or other social avenue, there are many ways you can do connect your amigos for the greater good.

Do you do this already? Any great stories of success? Failures? Let us know.

#63 One of the greatest sources of inspiration is simply meeting new people. So…are you out there introducing yourself?

For some of you this is easy. Going to social events or client “mingling/networking” events, you find it almost second nature to work your way into conversations or opportunities. But for some of you, this experience is like getting hot pokers stuck into your eyes. Either way, getting out to inspiring lectures and going to networking events are crucial to building your personal and professional networks. I have come to love meeting new people and hearing their stories, what makes them tick and what inspires them in life. That gives me energy, ideas and exposure to different ways of thinking that makes me a better designer and communicator (especially when the people are very different then me).

Still not sure where to start? You can join your local AIGA chapter, Art Directors Club, Marketing Associations, or a community organization. Or you can meet new people through your favorite social media or build up courage by reading books. We recommend a combination of all of it.

For some book inspiration it’s hard to beat this classic:
How to Win Friends and Influence People

Something more recent:
Never Eat Alone

What do you do to get out and meet new people? Any great book suggestions? Who is the most inspiring person you have met or that is in your life?

#62: Have a good supply of unique gift items to send to clients & business amigos for birthdays, anniversaries and any sort of special occasion.

As we all are becoming more “wireless,” we must remember gifts, especially for business. Who doesn’t like getting a personalized care package recognizing an anniversary, promotion, new birth, or a random occasion? We talked about personalized notes a few tips back, but giving gifts is also a great relationship builder (plus it’s fun!). For more along these lines, we have a post coming up about listening to and “dating” clients, but for now we just recommend taking notes on clients’ unique interests. Then when a special occasion comes up you will have a better idea of what will really make their day.

Also, keep on hand a collection of your own note cards and other swag to send along. This adds a personal touch as well as extending your brand. One of the things we do is we buy several copies of our favorite something - usually a business book or a great kid’s book for our clients’ kids.

Some of our favorite business gift books are:
Brand Gap, Zag, The Designful Company, Made to Stick, Groundswell

Some of our favorite kid’s gift books are:
Where the Wild Things Are, Little 1, Charley Harper ABCs

We also send gifts that are special or unique from our locale. We have a great caterer/deli/sweets mecca in Geneva called Movable Feast. We send their brownies whenever we need to. We also will send Lou Malnati’s pizza or Eli’s Cheesecake.

Anyway, I think you get the point. Take a few minutes to brighten your clients’ days. I guarantee they will appreciate it.

Any other suggestions? What do you send to your clients?

#61 Think bigger & think beyond the world of design. Participate as a team in a community event that will impact others & escape the studio!

Admittedly this year I have been more stressed than usual. I think most of us have, due to the current state of things. Busy or not, it has just been an odd year so far. I’ve found that doing something to benefit others, more than anything gives perspective, but also helps to get my mind off the minutia of work, bills, clients, etc. Better yet, rather than doing something just yourself, get your team involved with an event or cause you all can rally around and be a part of.

Now I’m not talking about pro-bono work, or some design project, I’m talking about something completely different. Help raise money by doing a walk, ride, or run, or volunteer at a food bank – something other than a design project is the best. Now admittedly I have not done this yet with my team yet, only with family members and friends, but I plan to.

Their is no better “team builder” than doing something for someone else. Some of you may already… what do you do? Or what events can you recommend?

#60 Try to make time to do an assignment with a college class - maybe even overseas using SKYPE. Teach and learn. Inspire and be inspired.

Someone once said that you’re never too old to learn. I would add that it’s also never to late to teach.

I recently was asked to participate in a class project next year that we will do primarily over Skype. We’ll define the scope and goals and then be the “client” and “teacher” on the project. I’m excited for this opportunity, both for my team and for the students. While we get a chance to go back to school, we’re helping the future leaders of our profession learn some practical wisdom with some real-world wonderfulness sprinkled in.

So if you are itching to teach, want to try it, or just think giving back to your profession is something you want to do, contact a design professor. It can be anywhere in the world with the internet and the need to bring practicing designers into students’ curriculum.

I’m curious – how many of you out there do this already? Any professors want some volunteers? Come on and let’s connect.

#59 Pull out your college portfolio now and then. Celebrate the ways you have evolved and remember where you came from.

On those days where you feel frustrated, uninspired or just plain stumped…grab your college portfolio and take a trip down memory lane. Revisit all those pieces that you, at that time, deemed your best work. These were the examples of the work with which you were going to impress your employer, get you your dream job and catapult into Communication Arts.

Now look at them through a critical eye. See how far you have come, what you have learned since then, how you have grown, changed and improved. Better yet, have everyone else bring in their books and talk, laugh and grow as a group. (Oh yeah, bring in your interns too, they need to know things usually only get better.)

#58 Pull back from the desk and use a No. 2 pencil and eraser now and then. Feel like a designer, artist, & kid again by sketching everything.

As a design student, the first thing I was taught was to sketch out my ideas. To draw the words and descriptions of the concept. To use my sketchpad constantly. And today, the first thing I say to our interns is, “Sketch.” If the designers are stumped, I tell them to go back and sketch. It’s an integral part of our process in the studio. Unfortunately though, when we are busy, it can also be one of the first things to go.

Like us, you know that visualizing your thought process is crucial, but do you still sketch? The bottom line is that we have to make time. I sometimes find myself sketching my to-do list or people I need to call. Or maybe while watching TV or on my lunch napkin. Make it a priority to set aside some pencil and paper time at the beginning of each project. No matter what your role is, remember to sketch.

Here is a video and a cool book to check out for inspiration. What do you think? Any cool sketches to share?

#57 Dream about where you want to go, by making job descriptions for the future. For you & your team, even if they don’t exist…yet

I’m a big fan of writer C.S. Lewis. And one of his quotes that I reflect on often is ” We are what we believe we are.” This couldn’t be more true when it comes to your business. Whether you are a one person firm to 30+, having the right perception and future image of your company and career is a key component to growth.

One tactic to help you plan ahead is by writing job descriptions for you, your team and even the employees you haven’t met yet. Every year I take some time to review our team members, and I write how I would like to see their jobs evolve. Then I write job descriptions of the type of people I would ideally like to have on the team in the future. (Dream big - what if money and clients weren’t an issue?) I also look at my job, review what I have been doing, and write a description for myself as well.

This has helped me in several ways. First, it allows me a chance to dream about the company or my career. It helps me see what things we are doing well and where we can improve. Secondly, it will helps me see if the direction we’re going is a direction I like. Are we doing the type of work that we love? If not, how do we get there? Third, it helps identify key employees and their value to the company. Conversely, it highlights the employees you may need to replace or help grow.

As a manager or leader of your team this simple exercise helps you get a perspective and set goals. It makes you aware of the path you are on and how to adjust it for future success. It allows you to celebrate and dream of the future and show you areas you may need to calibrate and make some hard decisions.

Take the time to do this exercise and it will give you a road map of your company’s future.